By Yemi Olakitan
In a recent assessment by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), it is revealed that 17 million people in Nigeria’s North-eastern regions and the Lake Chad Basin, or 25 million people overall, are at danger of food insecurity in 2023.
Despite government efforts to combat poverty through policies and programmes, climate change is worsening food insecurity in the region and pushing millions of people into poverty. Climate change is expected to exacerbate the region’s vulnerability to drought and desertification, reducing food production and cattle grazing space. Due to the lake’s shrinkage and changes in the region’s rainfall patterns, the Lake Chad basin, which is shared by Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger, has also been experiencing severe water scarcity. This makes it difficult for farmers to access water for irrigation and fishing activities, which lowers agricultural productivity and fishing. Extreme weather occurrences like floods and storms, which can harm crops and infrastructure and displace communities and make it harder for people to acquire food and other resources, are another factor that affects the region.
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Several steps can be made to address the effects of climate change on food security in the Borno and Yobe states of Nigeria’s Lake Chad region. First, it is possible to install disaster risk reduction strategies like early warning systems and preparedness plans, as well as adaptation strategies like drought-resistant agricultural types, rainwater gathering, and irrigation systems.
The second option is climate-smart agriculture, which combines techniques including conservation agriculture, agroforestry, and livestock management to boost agricultural production and resilience to climate change. Thirdly, it is possible to increase water availability for fishing and agriculture by implementing sustainable water management techniques including rainwater collection and irrigation systems.
Fourthly, policy and decision-making can be influenced by research and data gathering on the specific effects of climate change on food security in the area as well as on the efficacy of various adaptation and mitigation measures. Fifth, since the Lake Chad basin is a transnational area, international cooperation is required to solve the issues of climate change, water scarcity, and food insecurity in the area.
In order to address the effects of climate change on food security, community participation and engagement are also essential. The design and implementation of adaptation and mitigation strategies, the development of community resilience, the sharing of traditional knowledge, monitoring and evaluation, advocacy, and education about the effects of climate change on food security are all ways that communities can help address the impacts of climate change on food security.
