Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Nigeria not prepared for looming food, climate crisis

Abimbola Akosile in AllAfrica. com via This Day (Nigeria): Anti-poverty organisation, ActionAid Nigeria, has observed that Nigeria was not prepared for an impending triple crisis of rocketing food prices, climate change and depleted natural resources, which could dwarf the county's ability to feed its population.

ActionAid Nigeria's Country Director, Dr. Hussaini Abdu, in a statement issued in commemoration of the World Food Day stated that "Nigeria must cultivate more than half of arable land that lies fallow in the country if it is to withstand soaring food prices and the coming economic losses attributed to climate change.

"Nigeria is one the of the largest food importers in the world spending N1 billion per day in importing rice alone and an average of 24.5 trillion ($160 million) every year on food imports. We are coming to the end of an era of cheap food, large-scale agriculture and other unsustainable farming practices.

"Some of these practices, such as over-use of chemical inputs have depleted the natural resources that sustained it and food prices driven by 'rich nations' insatiable demand for biofuels and food commodities will continue to rise, unless urgent action is taken", he said....

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