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From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
The Federal Government has pledged its commitments towards making the nations food systems more resilient, responsive and sustainable in its quest to achieve Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.
The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Nebeolisa Anako, made this known at the Pre-Food System Stock Taking Moments with Newsmen in Abuja.
Anako said the pre-food system stock taking moments was organized for stakeholders in the food value chain to address the challenges of the food systems in nigeria with private sector, civil society, farmers, women and youth in the rural farming communities and development partners with the spirits of leaving No one behind.
He said that the efforts of the Ministry were aimed at ensuring equity, inclusivity, livelihood opportunities, youth and gender mainstreaming and with the spirit of ‘leaving no one behind’.
He stated that the Federal Government in collaboration with the States have taken the bull by the horn to implement the recommendations which implementation were phased into short and long term with roles and responsibility of Stakeholders clearly defined.
The Permanent Secretary recalled that in 2020, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres had called on countries to come up with modalities to improve their food systems also tasking nations to make their food systems to be more resilient, responsive and sustainable in quest to achieving the SDGs and it was in the light of the foregoing that the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning coordinate in line with its mandate to organize stakeholders in the food value chain to address the challenges of the food systems.
He also stated that this call by the Secretary General emanated from the fact that the world risk not achieving the Sustainable Development Goals if urgent steps were not taken adding that the 10 years – 2020 to 2030, was declared as the Decade of Action for the achievement of the SDGs.
“Looking at Food as a Basic Right and with growing Food and Nutrition insecurity, the Secretary General envisioned that adequate food and proper nutrition is central to achieving the SDGs. As a matter of fact, nation, communities and households are food secured when everyone has access to healthy diets at all times and at a price that is affordable and according to their preferences for a productive live. Obviously, this is a challenge in most settings.
“In line with the directives of the Secretary General, Nigeria organized 40 Dialogues between January to July, 2021 with the participation of the over 4,000 stakeholders drawn from the government, Organized private sector, civil society, farmers, women and youth, children, rural farming communities, fishermen and development partners.
“After the series of dialogues all the stakeholder’s ideas and suggestions for transforming the food systems were synthesized into about 80 Recommendations. The preliminary report of the Dialogues was presented at the Food Systems Pre-summit that took place in Rome in July, 2021.
“This stock taking moment also Tagged UNFSS+ 2 marks two years since the meeting in Rome. While the final report was presented by the then President Muhammad Buhari, GCFR in NewYork on the 23rd September, 2021 in New-York,” he said.
Also Speaking the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture who was represented by the Director of Nutrition and Food Security, Sugura Mahmood said there is need for collective efforts to solve the food security crises as she highlighted renewable energy mechanisation as prospect prospect for having sustainable food system in the country.
The Convenor, United Nations Forum on Sustainable Standards (UNFSS), Dr Sanjo Faniran, highlited that food systems transformation is non-negotiable as he charged stakeholders in the education sector to rei-ntroduced school garden in schools across Nigeria, collaborating with major stakeholders in the private farming in the zones for training and mentoring youth in Nigeria amongst others.
