A CLARION CALL TO UPLIFT THE NIGERIA’S AGRICULTURAL
SECTOR AS THE WORLD MARKS THE WORLD FOOD DAY TODAY
THURSDAY OCTOBER 16, 2014
No one has ever boasted of living
a healthy life without an adequate food on his or her table. This implies that
a healthy living is not unconnected to consumption of required and adequate
food.
Food which remains one of the
three basic needs of man on earth can only be acquired by continual indulgence
or thorough participation in agricultural practices.
Agriculture is simply the act of
farming. In a nutshell, farming is the activity of growing crops and/or raising
animals on a certain piece of land in a given area or locality.
No doubt, agriculture is an integral part of human existence considering
the fact that it is the only means that can guarantee the three paramount needs
of man, which are food, clothing and shelter. Of course without agriculture, no
one can boast of a clothe or even a shelter. In view of this, agriculture has
indeed proven to mankind that it is the epitome of life which was initiated by
God himself.
Several countries in the world depend solely on agriculture as regards
their internally generated revenue. And those countries jealously safeguard it
because they acknowledge that it is the most affordable source of revenue.
Unequivocally, if well harnessed, agriculture is considered as the most
important revenue source due to its unending fruitfulness or benefits coupled
with easy accessibility that is attached to it. Among all, the fact that no one
can live without food is enough reason to say that the positive impact of
agriculture on mankind cannot be overemphasized.
The above facts have proven to us that agriculture can function as a
revenue source as well as a means of survival to any nation. Suffice to say;
sustenance of agriculture remains one of the prime desires of any country in
existence.
Due to its challenges, which include access to mechanize farming, undesirable
topography, poor climatic condition, unavailability of land, insufficient
funds, et cetera, many potential farmers or interested individuals in most
developing nations like Nigeria, have over the years lost interest in
agriculture thereby endangering the socio-economic status of the nations
involved. It is no longer news that lack of participation in either subsistence
or commercial farming among the populace of a certain country leads to
malnutrition as well as tremendous decline in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
of the country in question.
The most devastating aspect of loss of interest in agriculture is the
apathy observed amongst the youth due to their eager quest for white-collar
jobs. Frankly, the current lack of participation of most youths in agriculture
has contributed immensely to the ongoing scarcity of food witnessed in several
nations in Africa and other developing nations across the globe.
History indicates that between 2011 and 2013, a total of eight hundred
and forty-two (842) million individuals or about one in every eight persons in
the world, were estimated to be suffering from chronic hunger; which simply
implies that the said set of people were not regularly getting enough food for
themselves to carry out their active life activities.
Due to the unavoidable impact of food on mankind, the World Food Day
(WFD) was established during the 20th General Conference of the Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) in November 1945.
During the conference, all the Member States of FAO resolved that October 16
each year should be commemorated as World Food Day; the Day was meant to
coincide with the anniversary of the founding date of the organization (FAO).
The Hungarian delegation led by the former Hungarian Minister of Agriculture
and Food, Dr Pal Romany played an active role at the said conference; he
suggested the idea of celebrating the World Food Day worldwide. The first
commemoration of the World Food Day took place in the year 1946; and since
then, the Day is being observed annually in more than one hundred and fifty
(150) countries, raising awareness of the issues behind poverty and hunger.
As the world over marks the World Food Day today, I’m using this medium
to urge the Nigerian government to wake up from its slumber with the view of
ensuring that the country’s agricultural sector is totally and thoroughly
uplifted. This can be made possible by providing adequate support for any
genuine potential farmer in the country.
I’m therefore soliciting that, the federal government alongside the
various state governments through a formidable and reliable Agency, should
intercede on behalf of the Nigerian farmers to ensure that the commercial banks
are always willing to allocate either soft or hard loan to any potential
indigenous farmer. Also, adequate farm land must be provided by any concerned
government.
On their part, the farmers in
question ought to continually validate membership of all their members and also
encourage the intending ones to register, so that through the body, the
government or any individual can easily assess all the practicing farmers as
well as ascertain the genuineness of anyone who claims to be a farmer.
Above all, the various governments must endeavour to own and manage many
mechanized farms in different localities with the motive of supplementing the
private owned ones, which would go a long way to see that plenty food is found
on our tables thereby creating avenue for diverse revenue sources and more
employment opportunities.
FDN NWAOZOR
Public Affairs Analyst & Rights Activist
_____________________________________
http://facebook.com/fred4nwaozorTwitter: @fdnnwaozor
+2348028608056
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