Climate threats to Nigerian food security

AllAfrica.com, via Leadership (Abuja): Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'adu Abubakar, has said that climate change constitutes a "great" threat to the nation's food security. Abubakar said this at a three-day national workshop on the "Challenges on Climate Change Adaptation and Sustainable Livelihood' in Sokoto. The workshop was organised by the Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with Heinrich Boll Foundation (HBF), a Nigeria-based German NGO.

Represented by Amb. Bala Sokoto, the Sultan noted that the phenomenon had "drastically" affected rainfall pattern, temperature and the soil, which, he said, were the three major components of agricultural production. He said the manifestation of desertification due to climate change had resulted to the loss of soil nutrients and fertility, soil water and low crop yield.

….He said: "The security of a nation is not in weapons or money but in sufficiency in food production and sustainability that will lead to security. "Any country with surplus food is secured."…

Photo of the Nigerian city of Enugu from the western hills by Martin Kudr, who has generously released the image into the public domain via Wikimedia Commons. Thank you, Martin Kudr