FAO Pledges Support To Lagos State In Achieving Food Security

***News in brief:

• FAO reaffirms support for Lagos state's food security efforts, aiming to upgrade the coconut value chain and collaborate on climate-smart practices.
• The state's commissioner for agriculture highlighted the need for to interventions to empower women and encourage their participation in addressing rising food insecurity concerns.*** The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has reiterated its commitment to supporting Lagos State in its quest for food security. This assurance was contained in a statement by Dominique Koffy Kouacou, the FAO Representative ad interim in Nigeria and to ECOWAS, during a courtesy visit to the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, on Thursday, February 1, 2024. The visit was to discuss various initiatives and finalise the implementation of a five-year strategy for upgrading the state's coconut value chain. Kouacou emphasised the FAO's ongoing partnership with the state, highlighting their previous collaboration on projects like the Hand-in-Hand Initiative focused on developing five key value chains: tomatoes, maize, dairy, fishery and aquaculture, and cassava. The commissioner commended the organisation's support and expressed her hope for continued collaboration in addressing food security challenges that the stata faces. She specifically mentioned the need for interventions focused on empowering women which will ensure equitable access to agricultural resources, and promote climate-smart practices This renewed commitment by the FAO comes amidst rising concerns about food insecurity in Nigeria. A news report by the FAO warned of an acute food shortage looming for 26 million Nigerians by August 2024, attributing it to factors like persistent insecurity, high costs of food and agricultural inputs, and climate change. By partnering with Lagos and other states, the FAO hopes to contribute to alleviating these concerns and fostering sustainable food systems in Nigeria.