Declining water resources threat to food security, says Agric minister.

Declining water resources threat to food security, says Agric minister.

Minister of Agriculture and Food security, Abubakar Kyari, has said declining water resources due to climate change, urbanisation and rapid population growth poses a threat to food security, if steps are not taken to curtail it.

  Kyari said there must be a synergy between the ministry  and Ministry of Water Resources to ensure adequate irrigation of farmlands and guarantee that food is produced all year. 

 The minister spoke yesterday in Abuja to mark World Food Day: ‘’Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind’’.

 He said such a threat to water supply has adversely affected not only food production but also livelihoods, with developing countries in particular, bearing a disproportionate burden. 

  The minister said incidences of drought, rainfall variability and desertification pose a greater challenge by putting the planet’s water resources under increasing stress. 

  Kyari noted  the ministry is collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to harness water available in producing areas, including River Basins, Dams (around irrigable lands) and other wetlands for multiple cropping cycles. 

 He said the collaboration would be deployed for 2023/2024 dry season farming with priority crops, such as wheat, rice, maize and cassava with a sustainable plan for upscaling and replicating same for other crops, livestock and fisheries.

 Director-general of Food and Agriculture Organisation, QU Dongyu, said governments should design science- and evidence-based policies to capitalise on data and innovation, and coordinate across sectors to plan and manage water better. 

 Dongyu, in a remark read by Head of Office, FAO in Northeast, Al Hassan Cisse, reiterated the need for farmers to become agents of water management and be equipped with the right tools to perform that function sustainably. 

  He said that promoting water governance was critical to boosting business reputation and profits while helping them avoid risks that water scarcity, floods and pollution could pose to operations in the future. “Water, energy and food are inextricably linked, and for policies to be successful, they must often manage competing interests without compromising the health of our ecosystems. 

 ‘’Farmers, forest-dependent people, livestock producers and those working in the blue economy of fisheries and aquaculture already manage water daily,” he said.

 The world food day featured field visits to cluster farms and livestock farms in the Federal Capital Territory.

Credit: The Nation Newspaper.