We Want a Food Secure Future: Addressing Public Policy Failures for a Food Secure World

The prevalence of undernourishment across the countries of the world is disturbing. This is even more critical among developing countries within which Nigeria is situated. Despite the efforts of the United Nations (UN) through the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) number one to eradicate poverty and hunger by 2015, not much has been achieved. The latest UN report through the Food and Agricultural Organization shows that about 795 million people continue to experience undernourishment globally. This gloomy scenario is even more worrisome in the African region, as the total number of undernourished people continues to increase with an estimated 220 million in 2014-16 compared to 175.7 million in 1990-92. Out of the estimated 220 million undernourished people in Africa, 11 million consisting of 15% percent of the whole are from West Africa. The proportion of Nigerians among the undernourished people in Africa is significant, considering the huge population of the nation. More significantly is the fact that Nigeria is one of the countries that could not meet one of the two international hunger targets by 2015. With an extensive review of literature and primary data, this paper examines how the failure of public policies has exacerbated food insecurity in Nigeria. Specifically, conscious attempt is made to show how public policy failure generated unemployment, rural urban migration, rural infrastructural scarcity, peasant agriculture and disempowerment of women farmers culminating in food supply crisis and persistent hunger ultimately. Some suggestions are proffered in the quest for a food secure future.