Framework Of Agricultural Policy Research Articles

Evolution of Biodiversity Protection in the Framework of European Common Agricultural Policy

The Common Agricultural Policy has undergone continuous evolution over the years, moving from a narrow, production-oriented approach to an agriculture with holistic approach, in which agricultural activity is intended to be treated having harmonious and sustainable utilization and rational management of natural resources and components of nature. The goal of protecting biodiversity within the Common Agricultural Policy becomes increasingly visible with each successive financing period; yet its fulfilment encounters numerous difficulties, primarily due to the resistance of Member States to introducing far-reaching changes, as well as due to the resistance of agricultural environments considering the indicated changes as striking their interests. The aim of this article is to evaluate the legal solutions adopted within the framework of the Common Agricultural Policy, both in its initial period of validity and the period commencing from year 2000, when the focus on environmental issues became significantly more prominent. This article also evaluates the currently applicable financial perspective in the context of its potential for protecting biodiversity in agricultural activities.

Functional analysis of technological innovation systems enabling digital transformation: A semi-quantitative multicriteria framework applied in the olive sector

CONTEXTTechnological innovation systems (TIS) play a key role in facilitating digital transformation (DT) in various sectors. In agriculture in particular, traditional qualitative assessments of TIS fall short of providing actionable insights. The olive sector in Andalusia, a world leader in olive cultivation, is a case where DT is essential for long-term competitiveness and sustainability. OBJECTIVEThe objective of this article is twofold: 1) to provide a comprehensive methodological framework for the functional analysis of a TIS, which allows a semi-quantitative assessment of the performance of a TIS at subfunctional, functional and global levels; and 2) to illustrate the application of this framework to the case of the TIS for the DT of the olive sector in Andalusia. METHODSUsing the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the framework allows the performance of the TIS for the DT of the olive sector in Andalusia to be measured along different functions, providing a nuanced and actionable assessment. AHP is a multicriteria decision making methodology that allows the decomposition of a discrete decision problem into a hierarchical structure. Expert knowledge was used to evaluate the proposed AHP model of the performance of the TIS for the DT of the olive sector, in particular a panel of 34 experts. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSThe application of the framework identified the main weaknesses in the functions of knowledge transfer, business activities and resource mobilisation within the TIS for the DT of the olive sector of Andalusia. Conversely, strengths were identified, particularly in the areas of market formation and knowledge development. Policy recommendations are made to address these weaknesses and capitalise on the strengths identified, thereby accelerating the DT of the sector. SIGNIFICANCEThis study adds to the TIS literature by providing a semi-quantitative, multicriteria, replicable and adaptable framework for agricultural innovation policy. The framework provides actionable insights for policy makers and stakeholders in the olive sector to foster an environment conducive to DT and thereby steer agriculture towards an innovative, competitive and sustainable trajectory. Insights from the olive case offer lessons for DT in similar contexts.

Comparison of an Optimised Multiresolution Segmentation Approach with Deep Neural Networks for Delineating Agricultural Fields from Sentinel-2 Images

Effective monitoring of agricultural lands requires accurate spatial information about the locations and boundaries of agricultural fields. Through satellite imagery, such information can be mapped on a large scale at a high temporal frequency. Various methods exist in the literature for segmenting agricultural fields from satellite images. Edge-based, region-based, or hybrid segmentation methods are traditional methods that have widely been used for segmenting agricultural fields. Lately, the use of deep neural networks (DNNs) for various tasks in remote sensing has been gaining traction. Therefore, to identify the optimal method for segmenting agricultural fields from satellite images, we evaluated three state-of-the-art DNNs, namely Mask R-CNN, U-Net, and FracTAL ResUNet against the multiresolution segmentation (MRS) algorithm, which is a region-based and a more traditional segmentation method. Given that the DNNs are supervised methods, we used an optimised version of the MRS algorithm based on supervised Bayesian optimisation. Monotemporal Sentinel-2 (S2) images acquired in Lower Saxony, Germany were used in this study. Based on the agricultural parcels declared by farmers within the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) framework, the segmentation results of each method were evaluated using the F-score and intersection over union (IoU) metrics. The respective average F-score and IoU obtained by each method are 0.682 and 0.524 for Mask R-CNN, 0.781 and 0.646 for U-Net, 0.808 and 0.683 for FracTAL ResUNet, and 0.805 and 0.678 for the optimised MRS approach. This study shows that DNNs, particularly FracTAL ResUNet, can be effectively used for large-scale segmentation of agricultural fields from satellite images.

Land use classification over smallholding areas in the European Common Agricultural Policy framework

Land use (LU) monitoring and mapping from remote sensing (RS) data are relevant topics in Earth observation (EO). LU monitoring requires powerful/robust classification approaches able to provide reliable identifications in decision-making applications, even over challenging areas. The European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) promotes the use of remote sensing for LU monitoring in Europe useful in the compliance control of the subsidy payments. In this context, the present study proposes a novel classification chain to identify ten land uses, namely: forest (FOR), pasture with trees (TRE), pasture with shrubs (SHR), pastureland (PAS), vineyard (VIN), arable land (ARL), fruit trees (FRU), nut trees (NUT), citrus (CIT), and olive grove (OLI), over three areas in the Valencian Autonomous Region (Spain) where smallholding farming predominates. The approach exploits the multitemporal information provided by Sentinel-2 data using a novel spatial strategy specifically designed to deal with heterogeneous agricultural areas. More precisely, we implemented a deep learning algorithm based on bidirectional recurrent neural networks to account for complex temporal dynamics. The classification results over the three areas showed accuracies higher than 95.5% over validation sets composed of in-situ checks never used during the training process. The proposed methodology outperformed standard approaches that not consider the spatial variability of the training samples, and revealed very good agreement concerning the Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) of Spain. In addition, the developed chain proposes the novelty of using the kernel normalized difference vegetation index (kNDVI) as a predictor in a LU classification processing chain. Including the kNDVI instead of the traditional NDVI outperformed the classification accuracy in all metrics and classes. Ultimately, the obtained classifications were used for assessing the 2020 farmers’ declarations in the three study areas. The declarations showed a level of agreement concerning the proposed approach near 99%.

Partitioning product footprint changes into yield and environmental improvement effects: toward life cycle assessment of agricultural system transitions

PurposeRecent agricultural policies require the complementary use of area-based and product-based environmental indicators to assess agricultural system transitions because both alleviating productivity-environment trade-offs and increasing food value chain sustainability are crucial in successful policy decisions. However, there is a dilemma due to the exclusiveness between representing trade-offs in the transition paths and connecting the calculated results to the assessment of downstream food products. Here, this paper proposes a procedure to resolve the dilemma.MethodsThe dilemma-resolving procedure is to partition product footprint changes into yield and environmental improvement effects in the same unit as the product footprint. After specifying a typology of transition toward agricultural sustainability, the partitioning procedure was developed on the basis of mapping from a two-dimensional space (area-based indicators) to a one-dimensional space (product-based indicators). To demonstrate the effectiveness and performance of the partitioning procedure, this paper applied it to the three categories of agricultural system transitions, including those to organic agriculture, integrated production, and production systems involving new agricultural inputs such as microbial inoculants and biostimulants, using the cases of the impact category of global warming (carbon footprint). The transition dataset (matched pairs) was constructed using a bibliographical survey.Results and discussionThe results indicate that the partitioning procedure is effective and has good performance: (1) it was able to apply to all the cases in the dataset and to classify all the cases into six specified transition types; (2) it was differentiable between the three transition categories; and (3) it was able to explain the features of each transition category. These results imply that the perspective on agricultural system transitions can be integrated with the perspective on food value chains. Therefore, productivity-environment trade-offs during the research and development phase of agricultural technologies can be linked to environmental mitigation practices along the food value chains.ConclusionsThe results imply that, by applying the partitioning procedure, the recent agricultural policy framework contained two exclusive perspectives can be explained consistently. Every stakeholder related to agricultural policy making should be explicit about product-environment trade-offs during agricultural system transitions, as well as about food value chain sustainability. The partitioning procedure facilitates such stakeholder practices.

Legal Framework for the Sustainable Production of Short Rotation Coppice Biomass for Bioeconomy and Bioenergy

The production of lignocellulose biomass on dedicated plantations is an option that facilitates the implementation of sustainable development policy. The novelty of this type of research is that it involves the use of various types of methods—economic and legal analyses within a particular subject. This makes it possible to obtain a holistic view of the chosen case study. The purpose of this study was to determine whether setting up a Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) plantation of willow (Salix spp.) and poplar (Populus spp.) was economically profitable and if the legal regulations supported this type of production. The economic data are based on an experimental case study. The economic profitability of the plantations was assessed through an analysis of discounted cash flows, net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and profitability index (PI). The legal analysis of the relevant EU and Polish legal solutions was based on a dogmatic approach. The study demonstrated that SRC cultivation was mostly hindered by economic factors, including the low selling price of biomass as an energy resource and the high costs of harvest. Meanwhile, in the analysed period, i.e., from 2015 to 2020, there were no additional legal or economic forms of support for this type of production that was addressed directly to lignocellulose biomass producers, with the exception of the standard support under the Common Agricultural Policy framework. The results of this study provide information for decisionmakers about the opportunities and challenges experienced during the development of SRC plantations.

Transition from conventional to agroecological systems, case study of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The main objective of the research is to analyze the possibility of introducing the agro-ecological concept through appropriate agro-ecological measures in agricultural policy of Bosnia and Hercegovina. For this purpose, theoretical and empirical studies have been conducted. Theoretical research included analysis of the strategic and regulatory framework in the European Union and Bosnia and Hercegovina and analysis of the development of the concept of agro ecology. Empirical research has included surveying holders of agricultural holdings of subjects according to the Eco Stack project methodology. The survey results confirm that farmers are generally not familiar with the concept of agro ecology, but do apply some of the agro-environmental measures. On the basis of the research results, steps have been proposed to introduce a new model of support for the application of the agro-environmental concept and measures in the framework of agricultural policy of Bosnia and Hercegovina.

Barriers to Implementing Climate Policies in Agriculture: A Case Study From Viet Nam

Agriculture is both highly sensitive to climate change and a major global emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG). With growing international pressure to curb global emissions through the 2015 Paris Agreement and mounting climate change-related losses in agriculture, countries are in need of an increasingly robust agricultural policy framework. This paper takes an in-depth look at the agricultural sector in Viet Nam, contributing to a better understanding of the main bottlenecks in implementing the Paris Agreement, evaluating the relevance and impact of selected barriers for the implementation of current climate policies and their implications for nationally determined contribution (NDC) design. To address these questions, an exploratory mixed method approach was employed: (i) identifying and mapping key policies, (ii) reviewing global literature sources on barriers, (iii) conducting stakeholder interviews (n= 25), and (iv) follow-up quantitative surveys (n= 16). The interviews revealed numerous barriers within Viet Nam's institutional setting that acted to impede the creation and implementation of climate policy. As seen in other countries, insufficient inter-ministry collaboration and information sharing restricted the overall success of climate policy, with poor representation of non-lead ministries in drafting and inadequate channels for bottom-up engagement also considered major constraints. These coupled with gaps in financing make for fragmented policies that often lack clear implementation guidelines, particularly at a local level. The NDC process presents an opportunity for Viet Nam to coordinate their cross-sector climate response around a single international agreement, facilitating greater inter-ministry information and data sharing, while utilizing the technical and financial support provided through international partners to build capacity in this vital area.

МОДЕЛІ СИСТЕМНОГО ФОРМУВАННЯ ТА РЕАЛІЗАЦІЇ ДЕРЖАВНОГО РЕГУЛЮВАННЯ РОЗВИТКУ СІЛЬСЬКОГОСПОДАРСЬКОГО ВИРОБНИЦТВА

The agricultural policy framework must be appropriate to the operating environment and be adapted so that agricultural production and food processing can operate successfully on domestic and foreign markets, use resources efficiently and protect the environment. Market orientation, entrepreneurial potential, personal responsibility and innovation potential in agriculture should be strengthened by regulatory actions from the state. Therefore, the conditions of the special model of agricultural policy within the framework of the general economic policy in all countries are built according to the special framework conditions for farming, which include climate change, structural deficiencies and the dependence of production on market needs. State regulation of the development of agricultural production in a market economy is a necessary tool for creating a strong and independent economy based on the principles of competitive advantages and is characterized by a constant rate of upward dynamics of effective indicators. Rational and effective forms and effective tools and mechanisms for the implementation of state regulation of agricultural producers should be aimed at fulfilling the priority tasks of the strategy for the development of the state's economy and meeting the needs of agricultural producers, encouraging them to operate on conditions of innovation and efficiency. The study of the experience of state regulation in the EU countries and the world indicates a combination of instruments and mechanisms for regulating their activities with the use of control over product prices and the development of certain areas of activity. At the same time, the optimization of the Ukrainian model of state regulation of the development of agricultural production should be built taking into account the range of priority recipients and the offer of financial intermediaries that are relevant for agricultural producers. In addition, agricultural policies should better link the use of public funds to trends such as consumer awareness, digitization and networking, social participation, integrated value chains or transnational private standards.

Risk management in Canada's agricultural sector in light of COVID‐19

AbstractThe unexpected introduction and spread of COVID‐19 has presented significant challenges for every aspect of Canadian society. Although the food and agricultural sector is positioned better than most, there are many risks that will need to be managed in the coming months. The suite of Federal‐Provincial‐Territorial Business Risk Management (BRM) programs delivered under the Canadian Agricultural Policy framework are meant to assist farmers in managing risks; however, there are no corresponding specialized programs for agribusinesses. The underlying structure of the BRM program was developed decades ago and certainly not with any thought to the possibility of a global pandemic. This article considers to what extent the BRM program and, more broadly, government programming will assist farmers in managing new risks. By default, the article is speculative in nature given that we are currently at the onset of the pandemic in Canada.

Management of Food Crop for National Development: Problems and Challenges of Cassava Processing in Nigeria

This article examined the problems and challenges of managing cassava processing in Nigeria. Based on the findings of our study, agricultural policy framework, level of mechanization, infrastructure, agricultural technical experts, and access to capital are the major factors that affect cassava processing in Nigeria, while the challenges are policy inconsistency, high cost of mechanization and inadequate capital investment in infrastructure, inadequate extension agents, as well as stringent credit facility conditions. This study, therefore, concludes that for cassava to play a major role in Nigeria’s national development government must ensure that there is a full exploration of all opportunities that have the potential to yield strong advantage. This could be achieved through a holistic assessment of the cassava process that is geared toward improving the quality of life and well-being of citizens based on Nigeria’s comparative advantage in cassava production and processing.

Livestock species and grazing rotational patterns modulate grassland bird assemblages in Mediterranean drylands

In the last decades, western Iberian Mediterranean drylands have experienced a shift from extensive sheep to beef-cattle farming. In this 5-year study in Évora region (Southern Portugal), we investigated the role of livestock species in favouring grassland bird habitat suitability, starting from the hypothesis that livestock species complement bird habitat requirements under contrasting grazing rotation patterns and annual rainfall conditions. Field methods were based on bird counts and data was analysed using Generalized Linear Mixed Models. Model ranking and selection were based on the estimation of second-order Akaike Information Criterion (AICc). The grazing rotation pattern was the variable that best explained bird richness and total bird abundance, whereas livestock species had a minor effect. The corn bunting, the common quail and the crested lark presented higher abundances in fields grazed by sheep whereas calandra larks showed opposite trends. Except for the crested lark, grazing rotation pattern was the variable that best explained the abundance of individual species. Fields under short-medium duration rotational grazing revealed lower bird abundance and richness. Interactions between livestock species and grazing rotation were only found for the zitting cisticola. Bird species preferences relative to livestock species were found to be independent of annual rainfall conditions. We conclude that shifting from sheep to cattle grazing in Iberian Mediterranean drylands may favour light to moderate changes in the species identity of grassland bird assemblages (i.e. certain species appear or increase while others decrease or disappear from the assemblage), although no significant changes were found for bird richness. However, the grazing rotational patterns had greater effect on species total abundance and richness than the particular livestock species. Given the alarming decline of grassland birds in Europe, changes in grassland bird assemblages associated to the sheep-to-cattle shift currently occurring in Iberia may become an important issue within the framework of future European agricultural policy and should be subject to long term monitoring.

Business risk management programs under review

AbstractThe Canadian federal, provincial, and territorial governments recently enacted a new 5‐year agricultural policy framework, the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. While the framework contained few changes to existing policies, the governments also committed to a full review of Canadian business risk management (BRM) programs. In this article, I provide an overview of the existing suite of BRM programs and summarize the BRM program review. I conclude by making recommendations for future policy frameworks.

Human Capital, Innovation and Internationalization of Micro and Small Enterprises in Rural Territory - a Case Study

This paper investigates the relationship between human capital in micro and small enterprises and their respective behaviors in innovation and internationalization. Based on a case study of interpretative nature, from 2010 till 2012 we collected data about the agri‑food complex of Tagus Valley (Portugal) through triangulation of techniques typically used in qualitative research: direct observation (in farms, units of processing, storage and packaging food stuffs and wines, and regulatory and promotional agents); semi‑structured interviews with individuals representing the various categories of agents involved, alongside a survey with 110 business agents; and statistical data gathered in the Portuguese Agriculture Census. Survey data were object of descriptive, correlational and regression analyses. Our research provides evidence of firms making use of stable partnerships with intermediary economic agents and promoting organizations and demonstrating how effective are endogenous assets (especially those of non‑mercantile nature) to the competitiveness of a rural territory, in the framework of Common Agricultural Policy. In terms of public policies for competitiveness and innovation, according to an institutional view, the state and regional/local governments, research institutions (public or private), higher education institutions and business training centers, sharing a common agenda for endogenous assets valuation, might play a strategic role in an economy strongly built on micro and small enterprises, whose sustainability depends on collaborative networking.

Economic profitability of agroforestry in nitrate vulnerable zones in Catalonia (NE Spain)

The impact of agricultural practices and the excess application of nitrogen can negatively impact the environment and cause human health problems. In Spain, the liquid manure applied in areas of intensive agriculture is creating groundwater nitrate pollution problems. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the economic profitability of agroforestry practices in North East Spain. Therefore, it deals with an alternative land use that has attracted attention in recent years, considering its potential to reduce the negative impact of modern agriculture that combines concurrent forestry and agricultural production in the same area. Specifically, silvoarable practices, such as alley cropping (AC), edge row planting and riparian buffer (RB) strips were compared to conventional agricultural land use. Considering the current agricultural policy framework in Spain, which does not favour these practices, our results showed the economic profitability of alley-cropping practices in comparison to conventional barley production of 25 to 64 € ha-1 yr-1. However, AC systems presented negative results compared to the traditional wheat crop (-122 to -63 € ha-1 yr-1). The results for RB strips were strongly influenced by the high initial costs, both in irrigated and non-irrigated scenarios. Economic results were negative (between -137 and -85 € ha-1 yr-1) compared to the conventional crops, barley and corn. These figures could be greatly increased with a policy framework that promotes these practices based on the fundamental ecosystem services they provide. Moreover, these practices allow an economic diversification that could prove to be beneficial for the majority of farmers.

Sustainability Assessment of Organic Vegetable Production Using a Qualitative Multi-Attribute Model

Organic agriculture is perceived as environmentally sustainable, but, under its umbrella, different production systems exist ranging from simplified organic productions to well diversified systems with a full implementation of agro-ecological approaches. Among several developed tools for agriculture sustainability assessment, multi-criteria models are increasingly gaining importance. In this study, we evaluated the use of the multi-criteria DEXi-BIOrt tool, coupled with data from long-term experiments, for the sustainability assessment of different organic vegetable production scenarios. These scenarios were applied in two Italian areas: the Adriatic coast of Marche Region and the Metaponto plan of Basilicata Region. Despite the presence of some critical issues, DEXI-BIOrt proved to be a valid tool for the sustainability evaluation of organic vegetable productions. In both areas, the most sustainable scenarios resulted the well diversified organic systems characterized by proper rotations, inclusion of agro-ecological service crops, cultivation of local and different cultivars, and presence of short supply chain mechanisms. Conversely, the implementation of the simplified organic substitution scenarios does not guarantee a suitable level of sustainability. The findings of this study could support decision makers in the implementation of appropriate measures for enhancing organic production sustainability in the framework of post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy.

Agricultural history nexus food security and policy framework in Tanzania

BackgroundUnderstanding the production trend of the major food crops is an important step for any nation that evaluates her agricultural progress. This evaluation should mostly focus on the yields per unit area. So far, it can also earmark the expansion of farms to determine the general yields trend. The main objective of this paper is to assess the production trend of the major food crops and their efficacy to food security in Tanzania. This is particular important because for the past three decades, the country has failed to control food security (especially food availability and accessibility).ResultsHere, crop data from 1980 to 2015 were gathered from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishery (MALF), and in the respective regions. In some incidences, the regional data were averaged to elicit their preciseness. To determine the objectivity of this study, agricultural policy, programs, and plans from MALF were reviewed for similar purpose. Mostly, the Mann-Kendal Test and Microsoft Excel were used for data analyses. The results show that the production of the total yields had a positive trend (i.e., growing at R2 = 0.4 and 0.8), while that of the yields (ton/ha) had a negative trend (i.e., declining at R2 = 0.02 and 0.3). It was further realized that the total yields mostly boomed due to farm expansion.ConclusionsDespite the efforts from various agricultural stakeholders, the country has not yet achieved a sustainable crop yield and food security. Explicitly, this situation has been affecting peoples’ livelihoods, and other sectors either directly or indirectly. Therefore, there is a need to improve the production strategies and approaches (i.e., more especially technology and marketing) to limit this problem.

Building joined-up agricultural policies: Lessons from Québec

In an effort to think about innovative and comprehensive federal food and agricultural policies, this commentary offers some insight into Québec’s integrated agricultural policy framework. In theory, key operating principles such as the precautionary principle, multifunctionality and subsidiarity integrate health, social, rural and environmental goals and therefore might contribute to a joined up and healthier food system.

Kształtowanie jednolitej wspólnej regulacji rynków rolnych w Unii Europejskiej i Polsce

Pending the entry into force of the Common Agricultural Organization of Agricultural Markets in 2007, there were twenty one coexisting industry market organizations as defined in the relevant basic EU regulations. Merging in one legal act the provisions of several dozen other EU regulations and looking at the single European market in a holistic and not sectoral way, illustrates the current way of running the Common Agricultural Policy, which seeks to comprehensively address the problems of the European agricultural market. From 1st September 2017, there has been a National Support Center for Agriculture, which took over the tasks of two liquidated agencies: the Agricultural Property Agency and the Agricultural Market Agency. Adaptation of the Polish legislation within the framework of agricultural policy will have to take into account the changes taking place in the Common Agricultural Policy in the future. From 1st October 2017, the sugar-producing quota system which existed for the last 50 years, setting the limits for individual Member States of the European Union, was terminated. This was the last system of agricultural quotas within the European Union. Following the harmonization of the Polish legislation with European standards, we are aware of the fact that the EU law is constantly facing changes.

Evolution, Strategies and Problems of Poverty-Alleviating Agricultural Policies and Programmes in Nigeria

According to the UNDP (2001) report, Nigeria started its independent nationhood in 1960 with poverty level of only 15% of population, but it is today struggling to reduce it from about 70% of its current population of about 190 million. This is in spite of the fact that the country is richly endowed with numerous natural, especially agricultural and mineral resources. Nigeria’s rising extreme poverty numbers are a direct result of years of negligent and ineffective government policies. Over-dependence on oil for years and an inability to generate non-oil revenue has led it to this. The country’s agricultural policy aims at reaching self-sustaining growth in the agricultural sector as well as the structural transformation required for the overall socio-economic development and improvement in the quality of life of Nigerians. The key feature of the policy is the evolution of strategies for ensuring self-sufficiency and the improvement of the technical and economic efficiency in food production. This is to be achieved through the introduction and adoption of improved seeds and seed stock, husbandry and appropriate machinery and equipment, efficient utilization of resources, encouragement of ecological specialization and recognition of the roles and potentials of small-scale farmers as the main drivers of food production in the country. Nigeria’s agricultural policy framework has evolved in a way that reflected, in a historical perspective, the changing character of agricultural development problems and the roles which different segments of the society were expected to play in addressing these problems. The form and direction of agricultural policy were dictated by the philosophical stance of government on the content of agricultural development and the role of government in the development process. Here, we examined Nigeria’s agricultural policy evolution from the colonial to the contemporary period. The very survival of Nigeria is tied to the ability of its economy to meet the material demands of its citizens since welfare constitutes a third objective of modern government. Food is an essential component of welfarism. The Nigerian Government and public policy makers must therefore see food as a component of welfarism and as such develop and sustain sufficient political will to achieve increased food production, a credible food policy and ultimately degrade poverty significantly.