Moving Towards a Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture: Will Nigeria Heed the Call?

By: Hephzibah Obekpa, 

MSU NAPP Scholar (2019) and PhD Student, University of Agriculture, Makurdi

Overcoming malnutrition is critical and calls for collective effort, which should include every sector of the economy. Agriculture has potential to directly impact the underlying causes of malnutrition. This can be delivered by incorporating nutrition in the planning and implementation of agricultural production systems, particularly in countries like Nigeria where malnutrition amongst the population is high.  This incorporation is termed Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defines Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture as a food-based approach to agricultural development that puts nutritionally rich foods, dietary diversity and food fortification at the heart of overcoming malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. As at 2019, Nigeria recorded an estimated 2 million cases of malnutrition in children under five. Hence, it is significant that the country recently developed nutrition sensitive agriculture plans. However, this is not enough, it must be followed with a clear plan of action that is well motivated with drive and enthusiasm to achieve the many benefits nutrition sensitive agriculture offers.

There are several pathways to attain a nutrition sensitive agriculture, one of them is Biofortification. This is a process to increase the bioavailability and the concentration of micronutrients like vitamin A, zinc and iron in crops through both conventional plant breeding and recombinant DNA technology.

Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture. Source: a4nh.cgiar.org

In Nigeria where majority of farmers are small scale, separating production and consumption decisions is difficult; hence, nutrition sensitive agriculture therefore has a direct impact on the consumption and nutrition of many farming households. One major benefit recorded in the literature on importance of nutrition sensitive is the improvement in the intake of vitamin A in children. Beyond children, other benefits of nutrition sensitive agriculture also includes improving the nutrition of household members, promoting good agricultural practices that protects the environment, it introduces time and labor saving farming technologies, it makes nutritious foods convenient and appealing, women are also empowered amongst other benefits.