The Federal Government has established an Agriculture and Water Resources Joint Action Committee to address food security and inflation challenges by harnessing the resources of both ministries.
Minister of State for Agriculture, Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi, made this announcement at the National Youth Convention in Abuja, organized by the Nigerian Women for Agricultural Progressive and Development Initiative.
The initiative aims to advance President Bola Tinubu’s food security agenda. The ministry has commenced dry-season farming to ensure all-year-round farming, as relying solely on the six-month rainy season cannot feed the country’s over 200 million people.
The partnership seeks to encourage all-year-round farming, leveraging the country’s abundant water resources and river-basin development authorities. The joint committee will focus on food security, dry-season farming, and collaboration with river basin development authorities to enhance farmer livelihoods, increase production, and incentivize youth and private sector participation.
The Ministry of Water Resources brings valuable assets, including water resources, land, and technical expertise, to the partnership. The goal is to synergize efforts, providing seeds, inputs, and farm machinery essential for food production.
The minister acknowledged recent flooding in some states and identified it as a challenge of climate change. The ministry’s response is to ensure dry-season farming becomes a permanent solution, allowing for controlled water usage, planting, and farming practices.
The minister emphasized that the Renewed Hope Agenda of the president focuses on the future, which belongs to the young generation.
