agriculture
Nigeria needs food security techniques— Olayinka Karim
Olayinka Karim
A university lecturer and Professor of Food Science at the University of Ilorin, Olayinka Karim, has said that the availability or otherwise of right quality and quantity of food is a serious determinant of the level of peace and security that a society would enjoy.
Speaking at a Public Lecture/Workshop, titled: “Sowing the Seed of Community Peaceful Co-Existence: Role of Food Security” organised by the Cardinal Onaiyekan Foundation for Peace (COFP) at the Department of Home Economics and Food Science, University of Ilorin, the varsity don opined that, “a community ridden with violence or any form of conflict weakens food security both at household and national levels.”
She noted that, “every effort must be made to ensure food security for national growth and development. Because such a Society would not enjoy the level of peace needed to facilitate the cultivation of crops and rearing of animals that are needed to keep body and soul together .
Karim added that, “reports abound that people living in a community affected by conflicts are likely to be food insecure and undernourished”, saying that starvation and malnutrition would be the consequences of insecurity.
“Available facts have shown that food security is a huge problem in Nigeria considering the fact that the country ranked 103rd out of 119 countries on the 2019 Global Hunger Index.”
In a heterogeneous nation like ours with diverse socio-cultural and religious affiliations, Prof. Karim explained that a lot of the much-needed cooperation can be advanced, explored and maintained using the instrumentality of food supply as humanity is united in the commonality of food.
Prof. Karim, therefore, advised stakeholders to ensure that peace prevails in the land to boost food security at all times in order to engender peaceful co-existence.
Also speaking at the event, the Director, Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies (CPSS, University of Ilorin, Prof. Noah Yusuf, said that the relationship between peaceful co-existence and food security is very close and unbreakable.
He explained that any country that cannot guarantee adequate supply of the required food cannot enjoy peace and tranquility as those who don’t have what to eat would always not take things easy with those who do.
Prof. Noah, who was the Chairman of the occasion, commended Prof. Karim for convening the talk-shop, which he believed would go a long way in illuminating members of our society on the need to be united not necessarily through food but for the nation to attain its full potential.
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