Food Sustainability In A Post Covid-19 Era: The Nigeria Perspective

Abstract

Nigeria has had periodic food shortages in recent years, to the point where hunger is clearly one of the country’s most pressing issues. The escalating insecurity challenges, ranging from Boko Haram in the north to IPOB’s demand for a referendum in the south, are blamed for the crisis. Another important aspect is the high number of kidnappings in most rural communities that rely on agriculture for a living, as well as the recent Covid-19 pandemic, which kept all farmers at home for about a year. Agriculture has been Nigeria’s greatest non-oil contributor to the national economy, accounting for 41.84 percent of GDP in 2009 and employing about 70 percent of the labour force. However, this projection has recently suffered a setback, with a report from the Bureau of Statistics accounting for 24.45 percent in 2020. In the post-Covid-19 period, Nigeria’s economy has shifted from a fight for survival to a struggle for survival hampered by serious insecurity crises. Despite the fact that government measures prohibiting the importation of some food items have had a favorable impact, the unchecked battle between farmers and herders continues to thwart government objectives. Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic brought to light the reality that addressing food sustainability will necessitate a collaboration of these elements, as well as more extensive knowledge of Farming Structure (FS), Environmental Issues (EI), Social Issues (SI), and Government Intervention (GI). As a result, this review will look at a correlation between these aspects, evaluating their effects on food sustainability as well as providing important information to address the persistent food insecurity in the contemporary era while also increasing the nation’s GDP.