Before
I begin, let me define food and security according to the Oxford Advanced
Learners’ Dictionary. Food is any substance that is or can be consumed by
living organisms especially by eating, in order to sustain life.
While
security is the condition of not being threatened, especially physically,
psychologically, emotionally or financially.
To
scientists, those are layman’s definitions of food and security.
Scientifically, there is food security when all people, at all times, have
physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet
their dietary needs and food preference for an active and healthy life.
Therefore,
promoting food security should be a collective responsibility of every citizen
of the world because nobody can do without food. However, to achieve surplus
food, the challenges enumerated below must be prioritized and tackled.
First
is water shortage. There is no gainsaying the fact that 60 per cent of the food
we eat comes through agricultural activity. Food crops such as cocoa, rice and
cereal, which are agricultural products, need water to yield in large quantity.
Today, how many farmers in Northern part of Nigeria, where most of the food we
eat come from, have access to irrigation? This is one of the major challenges
faced farmers and this must be solved to achieve nutritious food.
Also,
for many farmers, it has been a challenge, storing farm produce because of lack
of electricity to preserve the food in storage facilities. This problem is a
threat to food security. And it is a common problem for farmers in the rural
areas, where there is no power supply. Sea food (fishes) and perishables are daily
wasted because of lack of power supply. If food security must be feasible,
government must provide electricity to the rural areas.
Insecurity
is another factor that tends to make food security a mirage. No farmer will go
to farm if his security is not guaranteed. This is mostly common in the North,
where there is no love lost between farmers and Fulani herdsmen. The government
must proffer a lasting solution to the farmer-herdsmen faceoff.
Bad
roads, dilapidated infrastructure and rickety vehicles are part of challenges
that must be solved if food must be made available all times.
Poverty
is the major challenge against food security. Statistics have shown that
majority of Nigerians live on an average of $1 per day, which is equivalent to
about N160. With that little amount, food security is impossible.
Over
population, no doubt, affects availability of food negatively. The world
population is increasing at an alarming rate, while a fraction of the
population is engaged in food production. There is an inverse variation, which
will make it difficult to produce enough food for the bourgeoning population.
More people should be encouraged to go to farm for food production. Also,
family planning should also be done to avoid unnecessary births.
If
all the problems listed above can be addressed, then food security is
guaranteed. Places where food security is not feasible, there is bound to be
malnutrition. Food security is not all about access to just any type of food;
it entails access to food and in its right proportion (balanced diet).
Starvation
and death are the end results of food insecurity. An individual who has no
access to food for days can starve to death.
There
is a saying that one should “pay one’s dietician more than the doctor”. The
reason for this is not far-fetched. Most of the diseases and ailments human
beings suffer are as a result of what we eat. We need dieticians who can
instruct us on nutrients that can be derived from food. Through this, we can
prevent some diseases. In other words, when there is access to food in its
right proportion, malnutrition diseases such as kwashiorkor, goitre, scurvy and
such like can be prevented. Good food makes us to be energetic.
There
are things that should be done by the government to boost food security. The government
should subsidize or make affordable some good food necessary for body growth.
The government should also promulgate Food Security Bill to protect what people
consume as food.
In
conclusion, since we now understand the challenges of achieving food security
and their consequences, we are now able to understand where the rain is beating
us. If the measures are put in place, food security would be achieved.
UCHECHUKWU
AMANZE
Department
of Food Science and Technology,
Abia
state University,
Uturu, Nigeria.
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