Can the threat of the imminent famine be stopped??

As I made my way back home from the North Western part of Nigeria to the Northeast, I saw flooded hectares of maize farms covered in water. It sparked a discussion in the bus. Every one expressed fear of the imminent famine.  The hunger crisis was real. Even children know that things are not alright. The situation looked so bleak. The common chorus was " this is the work of God" and so it meant there was nothing anyone could do about it. They ended with " God help us".

Typical of most Nigerians.

Nigeria, like Pakistan and other countries has had it rough with the floods in 2022. Not less than 600 hundred persons lost their lives in the floods and more than 1.3 million fled their homes in Africa's most populous Country. The Federal Government figures has it that 1,110,000 hectares of land of farmlands were surbmerged in water in the floods that started as early as May to end of November 2022. 

The flood did not only displace people from their homes, it cut them off other towns. In places in Bayelsa state, people were thrown into a dire situation were they had no where to go to, they were caged in and could not go to other places. Life was difficult as they could not get supplies.

The floods destroyed farmlands and affected almost all states and so 60 - 70 % of expected  farm yields are lost as reported by chairman of Farmers association in Nigeria. This puts Nigeria in a more risky position of facing food crisis since the Advent of Corona Pandemic and Russia-Ukranian war( Nigeria is one out of 6 countries facing high risk of a catastrophic level of hunger). 

Presently, 49 countries are at the brink of Famine. Somalia, Kenya, Pakistan, Nigeria etc. 19.5 million people are food insecured in Nigeria.  World Food Program estimates that 13% of Nigeria's  population is under nourished.  Having a Global Hunger Index of 27.3  huger is a serious issue here.  Amongst Children below in  Nigeria, 6.5 are wasted, 31.5 are stunted 11.4 % die before they clock 5 years.  

A Famine is as a result of man's actions or inactions as opposed to droughts that are  a result of nature. Famines are prolonged  extreme food scarcity.  A place can be said to be experiencing famine when three conditions are met

1. 20% of households in that area are facing extreme food shortages.

2. When more than 30% of the children are having acute malnutrition.

3.  When 3 deaths occur over 10,000 persons die from hunger.

Famines  currently are as a result of conflicts, climate shocks, bad government policies, poor leadership amidst other human factors.

Since the  Boko Haram, many fled homes and sources of livelihood which is mostly farming. The bandits attacks on farmers and villages also heightened food scarcity. Many have been killed while at their farms so people are scared to go at the expense of their lives. The war in  Ukraine had also affected countries that are importing in nature like Nigeria that depends on Ukraine for it's wheat and other things.  Inflation has hit 20.77 % in 2022. The pregnant women and children are more at risk of death now than in other times. It could mean death for these ones because of poor nutrition.

The floods are like the proverbial straw that will break the Carmel's back. Apart from causing food shortages, it has cut off bridges and roads. Transporting food from one region to the other was almost impossible. The hike in fuel prices and it's scarcity is another challenge. The floods were said to have been caused by opening of dams to release excess water and climate change. Clearly the causes of all these are man made. Thus they can be prevented.

We must never get to a level where we leave for someone else what we can do for ourselves. Inspite of the humanitarian aid people are receiving presently ,whether from Government or humanitarian agencies, it cannot equal any preventive measure put in place to prevent wars, crises, economic recession, health crises, etc.

These involves us all. Public sector, private sector, communities, families, individuals.

As we call on Government to live up to their duties, to work with policies that are people friendly and climate friendly, individuals too have to play their part. Celebrities can use their influences to drive positive change. Young people can begin to self develop so that they can be financially independent.

There is no better time than now to invest in people, and equip them with skills.

The private sector can provide technical assistance and transfer knowledge as they also provide financial assistance to empower the common man. The Government investing in long term developmental programs instead of only carrying out reliefs initiatives during emergencies. Mitigation of the problems are always better than damage controls. With empowered people the looming hunger can be stopped.  

Gender friendly measures can be taken to encourage women Farmers like  loans with little or no interest rates, fertilizer availability and unbiased distribution.

The populace should be taught to take forcast seriously and be more conscious of climate change and where to take eco friendly measures in dealing with our environment. With these and more, we can stop the imminent famine facing us in the near future.