In a bid to promote inclusive economic growth and food security in Africa, The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has joined hands with the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) to call for the development of sustainable agriculture and food security in Nigeria and Africa at large.
The representative of FAO in Nigeria, Dr. Louise Setsehwaelo made this call during her keynote Lecture at the Africa Standardisation Day seminar organized by the African Organization for Standardization (ARSO), in Abuja.
FAO while justifying the need for the partnership said based on the continued increase of human population in Africa, by 2030, Africa will need to feed about 1.5 billion people and by 2050, close to 2 billion, hence agriculture required greater recognition to drive inclusive economic growth and food security in Africa.
She said, “African countries still need to do a lot more, both individually and collectively. We have what it takes to move forward, we have the human capacity and other factors needed to drive the economy”.
Meanwhile, the Director General, SON, Joseph Odumodu affirmed that Africa is the only continent that cannot feed itself fully as we import some of our food to feed ourselves. He added that it is not debatable if agriculture is important in Nigeria or Africa due to the fact that agriculture provides food, employment and also contributes largely to our national GDP.
He therefore called for more collaboration with extension workers and key agriculture stakeholders, while commenting on the need for the promotion of agricultural best practice to boost the standard of production in Nigeria.
