0038-A1

Forestry And Food Security In Nigeria

Obiora Dennis Nwokeabia ¹

Abstract

Forests are a source of life; providing food, fruits, oils, medicine, forage, fuelwood, game, employment and income for rural populations as well as conserving the environment for sustainable agriculture and protection of biodiversity. Food security is the state of self-sufficiency in food production achieved by implementing policies that will provide food for the family and crops/raw materials for industries, trade and export. Forestry can contribute substantially to food security and poverty eradication in Nigeria. The need to produce enough food for a population of about 120 million has always worried the government and several schemes were implemented in the past to achieve this objective. These failed because of inadequate and untimely release of funds, exclusion of farmers from project decision processes and absence of forestry in their design.

Nigeria has embarked on a new strategy called the national special programme for food security (NSPFS). This initiative is in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Government is depositing the sum of US$43.5 million in a FAO unilateral trust fund that is being disbursed directly to the farming communities. A participatory rural appraisal/implementation approach will be adopted and all stakeholders (government, non-governmental organizations, private sector and local communities) will be actively involved.

The NSPFS holds promise for food security in Nigeria and it is recommended to other developing countries over 60 of which have already adopted the process. For the strategy to succeed, it must involve wide stakeholder participation, timely, adequate and dedicated funding, and good governance and be community driven to ensure sustainability.

Forestry contributes to direct food production and conservation of the environment and must be fully integrated with agriculture, livestock and fisheries to achieve food security and poverty eradication in Nigeria and other developing countries.

Introduction

Forests have sustained life on earth through the ages. They supply food, medicine, energy, shelter, fodder, wood and non-wood forest products and are a source of economic development for individuals and communities. They have cultural and spiritual values, protect biodiversity and conserve soil and water. Forests are indeed a source of life. Food security is the state of self-sufficiency in food production achieved by developing and implementing policies, aimed at guaranteeing availability of food for the family as well as crops/raw materials for domestic industries, trade and export. Forestry can contribute immensely to food security in Nigeria if properly integrated with agriculture, fish and livestock production. Forestry is important to food security because sustainable food production cannot be realized in a deforested/degraded environment.

Special Programme for Food Security in Nigeria (NSPFS)

Nigeria's agriculture is characterized by shifting cultivation involving mainly smallholder farmers. The need to produce enough food for the teeming population (about 120 million) is of major importance to the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), which has with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) instituted a unilateral trust fund (UTF) for a special programme for food security (NSPFS). Adopting a participatory approach, this programme has introduced economically attractive and environmentally friendly viable technologies to assist farmers' nation-wide, intensify and diversify food production in order to achieve food security and poverty eradication. The NSPFS consists of five main programme components viz: Food Security, Aquaculture and Inland Fisheries, Animal Diseases and Trans-boundary Pest Control, Marketing of Agricultural Commodities and Food Stock Management, Soil Fertility Initiative.

Other features are as follows:

• 3 pilot projects will be sited in each of the 36 states of the federation including Abuja amounting to 109 sites;
• the entire cost of US$43.5 million will be paid into the FAO UTF by the government and administered by the FAO;
• the sum of US$209,498 has been allocated for work at each site, according to priorities of the communities, based on a participatory appraisal recognizing the peculiar needs/priority assessment of each site and farmers' aspirations;
• the programme will run from 2002 - 2004 and will involve 200 - 300 farming families per site; which will vary in size from 500 - 600 ha;

Objectives of the FSP:

The objectives of the Food Security Project (FSP) are to contribute to sustainable improvement in national food security and poverty eradication on an economically and environmentally sustainable basis. The forestry/agro-forestry sub-component will achieve food security and enhanced environmental quality and public health through tree planting, non-afforestation and wildlife conservation/management. The tree related activities include:

• those geared towards the sustainability of the established scheme through
• increasing arable crop yields and reduction of silting and sanding processes (desertification), especially in arid and semi-arid zones;
• those contributing to direct production of non-crop items, such as timber, fruits, seeds and gum etc;
• those that improve the environment and comfort of homesteads e.g. windbreaks, plus some other economic activities like apiculture, snail production and wildlife domestication;
• the fourth set are dedicated to capacity building and training of farmers to realize the overall goals of the NSPFS.

The Role of Forestry in the NSPFS

Forestry and agro-forestry within the framework of the NSPFS are aimed at increasing food production and enhancing sustainability of farming systems to achieve food security. Conservation and development of forests are vital to human welfare. Forests help maintain ecological balance and biodiversity, protect watersheds, influence weather patterns and climate. Forest products provide rural communities with wood, food, fuel, forage, fodder, fibre, honey, mushroom, vegetables, medicines, bush meat, fruits, jobs and income.

Agro-forestry permits the production of wood and food in a combination of systems:

taungya, (trees and arable crops), silvo-pastoral (trees and livestock production), arbori-pisciculture (trees and fish production). Forests protect farmlands from erosion, and dessicating winds.

The United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992, considered environmental protection an integral part of development which should aim at poverty alleviation and striking a balance between economic efficiency and sustainability and agreed (Agenda 21 Chapter 11), that all forests need to be sustainably managed for their social, economic and ecological benefits.

Exploitation of forest resources in the early 1940s and 1950s led to the development of rural settlements and a network of extraction routes which facilitated evacuation of agricultural produce and were the fore-runners of the current network of roads in southern parts of Nigeria. A lot of Nigeria's forest resources have been depleted and degraded owing to uncontrolled/unsustainable practices in the past. This has been due to the increase in the demand for forest products and services arising from national development and growth in population, shortage of resources for forest management, lack of land use/forest management plans etc. It is, therefore, important to implement strategies for sustainable forest management to achieve food security and poverty reduction in Nigeria.

Project Strategy

A major farm level constraint to be overcome to achieve the goal of the NSPFS is the low level of farmer understanding of the role of forestry in enhancing soil productivity and income. These constraints will be overcome by training and extension programmes for farmers at the local community level. The existing nation-wide network of Agricultural Development Projects (ADP) will be used for implementation in concert with local farmers.

Project activities will be preceded by baseline surveys to determine the conservation status of the natural forest/indigenous forest fruit trees and wildlife animal species.

Capacity building will specifically involve `train the trainer' modules in nursery development, tree orchard, windbreak/plantation establishment; apiculture, domestication and multiplication of wild animal species, snail farming as well as monitoring and evaluation in the pilot phase. The trainers will train the farmers on site in their areas. Activities will be identified through participatory rural appraisal (PRA) involving all stakeholders. The communities will own the project/benefits and successful pilot schemes will be replicated in other parts of the states and implemented on a sustainable basis.

Risks

There are a number of risks that the project may not generate the level of benefits expected or possible. These pertain to the late consideration and inclusion of the forestry/agro-forestry sub-component into the NSPFS, the planning and approval process, actual disbursements, designation of project sites, weak local staff, deployment of experts and technicians as well as delays in the implementation of infrastructure, works etc.

Discussion

Nigeria's agriculture has evolved through a series of transformations and is remembered for its performance in the past when the foreign exchange earnings from cocoa, groundnut, rubber, palm oil, and timber provided funds for national development. As the population grew over time, so also did the need for increased food production and provision of raw materials for industry and export. The programmes and institutions targeted at improving the welfare of the smallholder farmers inter alia include:

• National Accelerated Food Production Programme (1972)
• Operation Feed the Nation (1976)
• World Bank Assisted Agricultural Development Programme (1976)
• River Basin Development Authorities (1976)
• Integrated Agricultural Development Programme (1976)
• Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme (1978)
• Green Revolution (1979)
• Directorate for Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (1985)
• National Agricultural Land Development Authority (1991)

These schemes did not achieve food security because of lack of continuity and consistency in planning and implementation of agricultural policies, inadequate and untimely release of funds and other essential inputs as well as lack of consultation with the farmers. They did not also consider the role of forestry in food security.

The NSPFS on the other hand is designed to address these problems and deliver food security and poverty alleviation. The needs/problems of the farmers are identified through participatory rural appraisal involving stakeholders (FGN, States, Local governments, private sector, NGOs and the farmers) according to the aspirations and priorities of the local communities. Dedicated funds are lodged with the FAO and are provided for in the annual budget. The UTF arrangement ensures that project funds are sent directly, to the site management authorities and guarantees that they are actually applied to the project. Wide stakeholder consultations plus training and extension modules assure feedback. The forestry/agro-forestry sub-component is a new dimension that will input forest services in terms of conservation of the environment and direct contribution to food production and public health.

Recommendations

For this paradigm shift to enhance the success of the NSPFS, the following strategies are proposed:

• All stakeholders must be involved from needs assessment/constraint analysis to selection and implementation of programmes which reflect the priorities of the farmers.
• Effective continuous public enlightenment is essential to secure the interest and participation of as many farmers as possible
• Adequate and timely funding of selected projects should be ensured.
• The local communities should be organized into farmer groups/co-operatives to facilitate their access to farm inputs and credit
• There should be policy stability and clear definition of roles and assignment of responsibilities among the various stakeholders.
• An effective mechanism for good governance, equitable benefit sharing, and conflict resolution should be established.
• Effective project monitoring and evaluation should be ensured.
• Capacity building and farmer training based on upgrading existing indigenous knowledge should be imperative.
• Programme design should encourage community ownership and emphasize sustainability.
• An effective network for capturing, managing and sharing data should be established.
• The SPFS process should manifest democracy, transparency and accountability.
• Other development countries that have done so are urged to adopt the SPFS process.

Conclusion

The FGN had implemented programmes on food security in the past in response to the demands of a growing population. These did not fully succeed because of many factors. They were conceived and implemented without due consultation with the farmers and did not have a forestry component. The NSPFS, however, is participatory, involving the communities and other stakeholders from project identification to implementation and monitoring. The FAO trust fund modality ensures dedicated financing by government and guarantees strict application of funds to the projects. Over 60 developing countries have already adopted the SPFS process and others are hereby urged to do so .

For the NSPFS to succeed, however, it must address the constraints/risks already identified in the areas of timely and adequate funding, effective farmer training and extension building on existing indigenous knowledge, good programme governance, etc. to inspire community programme ownership and sustainability. The inclusion of a forestry/agro-forestry sub-component will also enhance the impact of the programme and provide alternative livelihood and supplementary income to the farmers. Forestry can play an important role in food production if properly integrated with food, livestock and fish production in order to achieve food security and poverty eradication in Nigeria and other developing countries.

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¹ Deputy Director of Forestry
Federal Department of Forestry
P. M. B. 468, Garki
Abuja - Nigeria
E-mail: [email protected] Fax 234 9 5234014, 5234119, 5234931
Phone 234 9 3144551-2