Empower Small-holder Farmers to End Hunger, Expert Urges FG

By Oluwakemi Kindness

Executive Director of the Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP), Michael Terungwa has urged the Federal Government to prioritize empowering small holder farmers as the most sustainable path to ending food insecurity in Nigeria.

Speaking on Democracy Radio 104.9 FM, Business show, Money Matters, in Abuja, Terungwa said Nigeria must pursue food sovereignty, which is the ability to produce and feed its citizens without depending on imports.

“Nigeria’s real solution lies in empowering small holder farmers. They are the ones who truly feed the nation, not the big commercial or briefcase farmers,” he said.

Terungwa called on the government to subsidize fertilizers, seeds, and other essential farm inputs to enable small-scale farmers to boost local food production.

He warned that relying on food importation offers only a temporary fix while deepening rural poverty and unemployment.

“When government opens borders to import food, it creates a quick fix that hurts our local producers. Imported food will always be cheaper because of the high cost of production in Nigeria,” he noted.

He identified insecurity and climate change as the two major factors crippling agricultural productivity across the country, forcing many farmers to abandon their farmlands.

Terungwa also called for the effective implementation of the Right to Food Act, which guarantees every Nigerian access to safe and affordable food, and urged the National Assembly to carry out stronger oversight functions.

“A country that cannot feed itself cannot claim true sovereignty. We must move beyond food security to food sovereignty — producing enough for ourselves before thinking of export,” he stressed.

He emphasized that empowering small holder farmers remains the fastest way to achieve food sufficiency, reduce poverty, and strengthen national stability.