Food security: Quit blaming govt, get your hands on the plough, youth entrepreneur urges citizens

By Kenechukwu Ofomah

Nigerians must jettison the habit of blaming the government for the nation’s low numbers on agricultural production, and start deploying 21st century farming methods to grow food and create wealth.
A youth entrepreneur and social affairs analyst, Mr Chima Christian, who made the call in an exclusive interview with TNC correspondent in Enugu, believes that with its over 84 million hectares of arable land, Nigeria should have no business with poverty, food scarcity and unemployment, especially as it concerns the youths.
When issues of the nation’s poor food production are discussed, the default reaction from people is to blame the government, as they cite the insecurity that ravages the major food baskets of the country and the failure to provide support to farmers.
But, while Christian agrees that the government has some form of responsibility, especially as it concerns insecurity, he queried why the arable areas in the urban centres are not cultivated, if the lands in the villages are adjudged insecure.
Christian insisted that while efforts are on to give Nigeria and the rest of Africa more purposeful governments, the people must individually and collectively have the resilience to solve societal problems, inspite of bad governance.
He noted that if the people especially in the urban centres, can cultivate the bushes in their backyards and compounds, there would be ample foods for the people.
“Every urban centre in Nigeria has a sizeable chunk of underdeveloped land. If you live in the urban centre, I challenge you to reach out to the owner of that undeveloped property near you.
“Lease it for a few months or years, and see what can be accomplished. Using vertical and more advanced farming systems, which anyone can freely and easily learn, we could grow more in a little space,” he said.
Christain, who is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Teva Foods, noted that by just tweaking crop selection and management system, the group is demonstrating through one of its Foods operations, that it is possible to grow more food on six plots of land than people do traditionally on 2 hectares.
He posited that the inability of the government to solve a problem as important as food, has created a massive space for the private sector players to jump in, adding that the private sector can solve the hunger problem better and quicker than any government.
“Some of us can really get our hands on the plough, grow healthy food, and create employment for our people?
“So, I challenge you to quit blaming the government and do something today, no matter how small. Even if you can’t do something because you’re so busy, find people who are doing something and support them to scale it,” he advocated
Christian noted that Teva Foods, a social enterprise dedicated to organic food production and processing, climate-smart farming, and systemic solutions to unemployment and food insecurity, with its multiple projects across the continent, is to pioneer an agricultural revolution in Africa by championing ethical, innovative and sustainable food production and agro-enterprises.
He disclosed their vision to feed the continent with wholesome meals, create employment, train the next generation of young/smart farmers.
He said; “Teva cluster farming investment programmes have been hailed as high-impact opportunity to generate measurable returns while supporting innovative agricultural practices and creating tangible value for underserved communities.”