Kwara Hosts Bi-annual Meeting on Implementation of Food Systems Transformation

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The Representative of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Hajia Sa'adatu Modibbo-Kawu, Kwara State Commissioner for Education  at the event in Ilorin.


Kwara State has hosted a 2-days national bi-annual meeting on the implementation of the Food Systems Transformation Pathways (FSTP) in the South-West and North-Central States of Nigeria.


The Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq who declared the event open, reiterated his commitment to the FSTP programme as he outlined the State's achievements in agriculture to include support to farmers with fertilizers, improved seedlings and agro - chemicals, among others.


The Governor who was represented by the Commissioner for Education, Hajia Sa'adatu Modibbo-Kawu,  disclosed that the food system transformation pathways was introduced by the United Nations at the verge of the COVID-19 pandemic to fight the food crisis that came with the scourge, all over the world. The Governor explained that the objectives of the programme included ensuring the availability of safe and nutritious food, sustainable production and healthy consumption, among others.


Governor AbdulRazaq assured that the State government was committed to the programme with over 3,00 hundred schools already incorporated into the scheme, including the setting up of 21 farm estates as well as the encouragement of home gardening across Kwara.

He assured the State steering committee of his commitment to the realization of the goals of the food system transformation programme in Kwara.


The Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon. Toyosi Thomas who is the Co- Chairman of the State steering committee of the FSTP,

espoused the State government's commitment to the food system transformation, drawing on a multi-sectoral path for effective implementation. She disclosed that the State government has provided over one hundred clustered farm estates to boost agriculture with various interventions for farmers. She revealed that all agricultural interventions are measured and monitored by the government.

A cross section of participants at the event in Ilorin.


In his welcome address, the State Director of Planning, Alhaji Suraju Alimi stated that the essence of the bi-annual meeting was to foster collaboration, reflect on on the progress made so far and identify challenges. He said the meeting was called to develop effective solutions to transforming Nigeria's food system, addressing climate change issues and insecurity related to farming, among others.


The Director of Animal Husbandry Services of the Kwara State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Mohammad Ahmad-Umar outlined the successes of Kwara in agriculture to include the procurement of tractors, crushing machines and motor cycles for extension workers, as well as the distribution of fertilizers and pesticides to over 10,000 farmers, among others.


He thanked Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his giant strides towards food security by ensuring the mass production of livestock and mechanized farming, which are already bearing fruits.


While giving the overview of the food system transformation implementation strategy, Dr Sanjo Faniran, the Convener of the event, spoke on the justification of the FSTP programme to include a high rate of poverty, which is directly related to inadequate agriculture in the country, malnutrition and the prevalence of non-communicable diseases attributable to poor diet.He charged governments at all levels to pay the much needed attention to agriculture to ensure food sufficiency in the country, amidst growing population. He outlined the goals of the food system transformation to include reduction of poverty, unemployment, and over reliance on importation, among others.


In her presentation, Professor Toyosi Idowu, who spoke on enhancing multi-sectoral collaborations for food system transformation, advocated for the strategic coordination of multi-sectoral activities to achieve the objectives of the FSTP in Nigeria. According to her, inter-sectoral and multi-sectoral collaborations can solve systemic problems across economic, social and environmental dimensions.


Highlights of the meeting were the presentations of the implementation progress made by the twelve participating states, which included Nasarawa, FCT, Oyo, Ekiti, Osun, Ondo, Ogun, Lagos, Kogi, Niger,  Plateau and Kwara, the host.The States were later split into three technical zonal groups to outline their programmes and implementation strategies for the next six months. 




Maryam Abdulquadir-Abubakar 

KWMOC

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