Efforts to boost food systems transformation through comprehensive approach to sustainable development in the country has received international support.
As part of preparatory effort, the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, in concert with Kano State Government, World Food Programme, Food and Agriculture Organisation, IFAD, GAIN and AGRA is holding a zonal consultation workshop on Monday in Kano on the development of the implementation strategy for the food systems transformation pathways.
The food system pathways aims to improve the productivity and sustainability of the food system while promoting health and nutrition, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and enhancing socio-economic development in Nigeria.
The implementation of these pathways requires a multi-stakeholder approach and engagement at all levels to ensure that the objectives are achieved.
The Consultation workshop is to harvest input from all the Northern States towards the development of a robust and inclusive Implementation Strategy for the Food System Transformation Pathways in Nigeria.
The one-day workshop in Kano will hold at the Tahir Guest Palace Hotel and will be closely followed by the Southern zonal workshop scheduled for May 18 in Awka, Anambra State.
A peep into the philosophy behind the consultation showed its imperativeness in harvesting input of Stakeholders, especially state actors in the Food System Value Chain, to strengthen and ensure an inclusive and jointly-owned Plan, taking into consideration various professional, technical and socio-economic positions of the stakeholders.
Justifying the imperativeness of food systems transformation in Nigeria, the National Convenor of the UN Food Systems and Director of Social Development in the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning (the Planning arm), Dr Sanjo Faniran hinted in a chat that it would help to address the questions of poverty, inadequate supply of nutritious food, non-consumption of minimum dietary diversity, stunting, chronic malnutrition, underweight, anemia and and diet-related noncommunicable diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and cancers, among others.
He said the national food systems transformation sought to achieve some goals by 2030, among which were reduction of poverty, unemployment, especially among youths and women, hunger, food insecurity, malnutrition, and food imports.
He said the programme sought to promote sustainable food trade, increase women’s empowerment in Agriculture Index Score, and increase Environmental Performance Index score.
