The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other development partners, has launched an inception workshop to kickstart the implementation of the “Nourishing Nigeria” project—an initiative aimed at addressing malnutrition and food insecurity across the country.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi—represented by the Director of Agriculture Lands and Climate Change Management Services, Mr. Oshadiya Olanipeku—described the project as “a technical cooperation programme aimed at reviewing the Agriculture Sector Food and Nutrition Strategy (ASFSNS) to ensure it aligns with current national and international standards.”
Dr. Ogunbiyi added that the initiative will “establish Junior Farmer Field and Business Schools to empower young farmers at the sub-national level with technical skills and entrepreneurial capacity”.
This, he added, will also support the “development of a policy and legal framework to address malnutrition and food insecurity through effective governance and strategic interventions.”
In his remarks, FAO Country Representative, Dominique Koffy Kouacou—represented by Tofiq Braimag—highlighted the importance of integrating nutrition-sensitive approaches into agricultural planning, policy, and implementation.
He emphasized that the initiative “seeks to confront the challenges of malnutrition and food insecurity in the country by pairing nutrition-sensitive approaches into agricultural planning, implementation, and policy.”
The workshop was attended by representatives from UNICEF, the World Food Programme, State Commissioners of Agriculture, Permanent Secretaries, and other key stakeholders.
