As the world commemorates World Hunger Day 2025 under the theme “Sowing Resilience”, Nigeria finds itself teetering on the edge of a food security catastrophe. This year’s global theme, which focuses on building resilience through investment in farmers and sustainable food systems, resonates deeply in Nigeria, where hunger has taken a devastating toll across the country.

A Grim Forecast of Food Insecurity

According to the March 2025 Cadre Harmonisé food security report, approximately 31 million Nigerians across 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory are expected to suffer from acute food and nutritional insecurity during the lean season from June to August. This figure represents one of the worst hunger forecasts in the nation’s history. In many Nigerian households, hunger is not merely a policy statistic—it is a brutal daily struggle. Families go to bed on empty stomachs, mothers stretch meals with water to feed children, and farmers stand helpless before scorched lands and vanishing crops.

Climate Change: A Relentless Driver of Hunger

At the heart of Nigeria’s deepening food crisis lies the climate emergency. From desertification in the North to flooding and coastal erosion in the South, the climate crisis is rapidly eroding Nigeria’s agricultural base.

Northern Nigeria is losing an estimated 350,000 hectares of arable land annually to desertification, while rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns are disrupting planting and harvest cycles nationwide. Reports from multilateral agencies warn that desertification is expanding southward by 2 kilometers each year, displacing farmers and triggering rural migration.

Floods in the South have wiped out crops and submerged entire communities, while erratic weather continues to reduce yields and destroy farmland. As the environment deteriorates, hunger worsens, and rural livelihoods collapse.

Insecurity Worsens the Agricultural Collapse

Beyond climate issues, widespread insecurity further fuels the hunger crisis. In states like Zamfara, Benue, Niger, and Borno, violent conflicts involving terrorists, bandits, and armed herders have made it nearly impossible for farmers to safely cultivate their land.

Many farming communities have fled en masse, abandoning once-thriving agricultural hubs due to daily threats to life. Terrorism and banditry have also scared off potential investment in agriculture, cutting off both smallholder and commercial farmers from essential support systems.

Economic Strain and Soaring Prices Leave Families Hungry

While insecurity and climate change devastate the countryside, economic reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s administration have added a crushing burden to urban and rural households alike.

The removal of fuel subsidies and the floating of the naira—though intended to stabilize Nigeria’s economy—have unleashed a wave of hyperinflation, especially on food items. The price of a 50kg bag of rice spiked to N80,000 earlier this year before slightly easing to N55,000, still far beyond the reach of millions. Protein-rich foods, such as eggs and meat, have become unaffordable luxuries. A crate of eggs now costs N7,000, up from less than N1,000 in 2022.

These skyrocketing prices have significantly eroded household purchasing power, pushing more families into food poverty, and leaving vulnerable children at risk of malnutrition.

Neglect of the Agricultural Sector

Despite its importance, agriculture remains grossly underfunded. Over 80% of Nigeria’s farmers are smallholders, many of whom lack access to the most basic resources—credit, modern seeds, irrigation, extension services, and storage facilities.

Yet, Nigeria continues to allocate less than 5% of its national budget to agriculture, falling short of the 10% commitment under the Maputo Declaration, which was signed to boost agricultural productivity across Africa. Instead of investing in transformative agricultural systems, the government offers short-term palliatives and populist interventions that rarely reach those who till the soil.

A Growing Population Amid a Shrinking Food Supply

Nigeria’s population is projected to exceed 400 million by 2050, making it one of the most populous countries in the world. Without significant investment in food production and rural development, the country could face an even more severe humanitarian disaster in the coming decades.

Empty Promises Must End—Concrete Action Needed

World Hunger Day should not be another opportunity for political pageantry and hollow promises. Nigeria requires bold, decisive, and coordinated action to reverse the tide of hunger. This includes:

• Prioritizing smallholder farmers—especially women and youth—by improving access to credit, agricultural inputs, and land tenure.

• Implementing climate-resilient strategies, including irrigation systems, agroforestry, reforestation programs, and promotion of drought-resistant crops.

• Expanding rural infrastructure, such as farm-to-market roads, cold storage, and rural electrification, to enhance value chains and reduce post-harvest losses.

• Boosting agricultural extension services and research to ensure that farmers receive the tools and knowledge needed to adapt to climate change.

• Improving national food reserves and early warning systems to prepare for future shocks and disasters.

• Strengthening human security, particularly in farming communities, through investment in local security architecture and partnerships with community-based groups to reclaim lost farmlands.

Investing in Food Sovereignty Is Investing in National Security

No nation can thrive or be secure when one-third of its population is food insecure. Food sovereignty is a matter of national survival, and without it, social unrest, migration, and economic decline will follow.

If Nigeria is to rise above its current challenges and secure a future where every citizen has access to adequate nutrition, then President Tinubu’s administration must act swiftly and decisively. The nation needs policies that go beyond palliatives. It needs long-term strategies rooted in climate adaptation, economic justice, agricultural innovation, and inclusive governance.

World Hunger Day 2025 must not end in more speeches—it must mark a turning point. Nigeria cannot afford another year of lip service while millions starve.

It is time to sow resilience—not in words, but in policy, investment, and action.