Food
Curbing Protein Deficiency With Food Security
By Reginald Onabu
Food security is at the heart of a nation’s development agenda. This comes with a clear commitment to end hunger, achieve food stability and eradicate malnutrition in all its forms, especially protein deficiency.
This was the core of the submissions contained in the Protein Challenge webinar with the theme “The Nigerian Protein Deficiency Awareness Report 2020: Unpacking the Numbers, Exploring the Issues”. The Nigerian Protein Deficiency Report 2020 was unveiled at the virtual session.
Professor Adetunji Kehinde, an agricultural expert and key panelist on the session noted that “Nigeria is not food secure. Food security is an essential ingredient in the quest to curb incidence of protein deficiency across Nigeria.” Agriculture, he noted, provides a stable food base and food security for communities.
He explained that food security refers to the availability of food and one’s access to it. A family is considered food secure when its members do not live in hunger or fear of starvation.
Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
Professor Kehinde argued that investing in agriculture would provide jobs, which will improve the standard of living for Nigerians. With proper policy and guidance, farmers can be propelled to cultivate and produce protein-rich food crops. This would serve as a great way to tackle the incidences of protein deficiency.
Proteins are present in a wide range of foods such as soybeans, eggs, dairy, fish, cowpea, whole grains, etc. but these food sources are becoming relatively scarce in Nigeria. The scarcity of these protein foods has initiated a surge in the levels of protein deficiency in the country. In addition, the scarcity of these agricultural commodities has caused them to become costly.
The Nigerian Protein Deficiency Report 2020 confirms this assertion.
According to the report, “45 per cent (of respondents) believe that the high cost of protein-rich foods is responsible for their low protein intake; 39 per cent believe their low income is responsible for their low protein intake; 10 per cent believe their little knowledge of its benefits is responsible for their low protein intake, while 4 per cent believe that the scarcity of protein-rich foods is responsible for their low protein intake.”
The statistics are worrying. It is particularly so because the individuals most vulnerable to protein deficiency are pregnant women and children. They deserve to be prioritized in the consumption of protein-rich foods.
Fortunately, there are actions that can be taken to mitigate the rates of protein deficiency in the country. It must be deliberate, coordinated and collaborative.
The obvious first step is an investment in agriculture on a large scale. Government must support this action. It would involve the provision of arable land, adequate storage facilities provided to store grains, seeds, tubers, and other arable crops.
This will increase food production and reduce post-harvest losses across regions – a huge win in the quest to curb protein deficiency.
Agricultural policies should be enacted to support the production of a diversity of nutrient-rich foods, such as soybeans, legumes, quinea, groundnuts, among others. Naturally, this must be consistent with nutrition priorities and goals, including food-based dietary guidelines.
Research on improving the productivity and quality of nutrient-rich commodities, as well as policies that facilitate access to agricultural inputs and agricultural support extension services for the production of nutritious foods, is equally crucial to enabling the agric sector to thrive in Nigeria.
The government could also intensify efforts towards the provision of farm incentives and low-interest agricultural loans to smallholder farmers, who feed communities with their crops.
The continuous support of the agro-allied industries will enhance food security in the nation.
Finally, there must be subsidies on agricultural seeds and inputs, as the high cost of items is a barrier to improved agricultural productivity and food security.
Take poultry, for instance. The cost of feeding poultry in Nigeria today is expensive because the main ingredients of poultry feed (soybeans and maize) have become expensive. This is the sort of situation where subsidy is needed and should be provided.
The government must take a stand against the issue of malnutrition, to ensure that the populace is truly food secure.
Agriculture will pave the way to food security.
Rite Foods Limited, a leading Nigerian Fast Moving Consumer Goods company, is proud to join the global community in celebrating World Food Day 2023 with the theme “Water is Life, Water is Food,”. Rite Foods continues to highlight its unwavering dedication to sustainability with a special emphasis on Bigi Premium Drinking Water.
Celebrated annually on 16th October, World Food Day celebrates the date of the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 1945, and heightens public awareness of the problem of hunger, malnutrition, and availability of food.
Mr. Seleem Adegunwa, the Managing Director at Rite Foods Limited said “We are delighted to celebrate World Food Day by showcasing our commitment to quality and satisfaction through Bigi Premium Drinking Water. We understand the significance of clean water in nourishing people’s lives, and that’s why we take pride in delivering a product that meets the highest standards of quality.”
He further affirmed that the various certification they have received from health experts and regulators in the fast-moving consumer good (FMCG) sector, like the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and Halal Certification authority is a proof of their commitment to ensuring that their consumers get the best quality of water.
Corroborating Adegunwa’s assertion, the company’s Assistant Marketing Manager, Ms. Adebola Adeyinka stated that “Rite Foods Limited would continue to provide quality products like Bigi Premium Drinking Water while maintaining a focus on sustainability and corporate social responsibility. We remain committed to contributing to a world where everyone has access to safe, nutritious food and clean drinking water.”
On Tuesday December 6, 2022, the Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture, Kaduna State – Malam Ibrahim Hassaini inaugurated Nestlé Nigeria Milk Collection Center at the Ladugga Grazing Reserve in Kachia LGA, Kaduna State. This milestone brings the milk collection and cooling capacity of Nestlé’s Dairy Development Program to 3000trs/day in Ladduga grazing reserve.
Nestlé, in partnership with CBI Innovations Limited, a social enterprise, is implementing a 5-year dairy development project that aggregates smallholder diary producers to improve the productivity of the local dairy industry in Nigeria, supported by International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC-2CALE).
In her address at the opening ceremony, Victoria Uwadoka, the Corporate
Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Nestlé Nigeria said, “We are proud of the progress we have made since the first engagement with the Kaduna State Ministry of Agriculture which culminated in the start of operations here in Ladugga Grazing Reserve in 2021.”
“Nestlé Nigeria’s dairy project is built on 3 pillars: Better Feed and Fodder, Quality Milk Products and Resilient communities. We have made significant progress on these 3 pillars and the opening of this Milk Collection and Cooling Centre will help us consolidate on this progress which has yielded year on year increase in milk volumes month on month. We
can safely increase the 1,396L/day we are currently collecting in Ladduga, thanks to the increased collection and chilling capacity with the launch of this facility today.”
The achievement of milk volumes in Nestle’s dairy development project is made possible by the engagement and empowerment of 77 cooperatives and 31 aggregators in the Ladugga Grazing Reserve community. The project has also made significant investments in improving herd health, improving infrastructure including provision of water and the
establishment of cool chain infrastructure.
Speaking at the inauguration, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Agriculture, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary Alhaji Manisibi Mohammed Kabiru thanked Nestlé and CBI Innovations Limited “For initiating this laudable Milk Collection Centre in
Kaduna State to accelerate investment in the dairy sector of the state and to empower pastoralists and smallholder farmers in the dairy value chain. Also, the timely intervention of the project will go a long way to support the State’s potential to utilize livestock production merits, improve nomadic standard of living, foster the coexistence between the farmers and herders and help to mitigate recurrent crisis.”
Victoria reaffirmed Nestlé’s commitment to contribute to the development of the dairy
sector in Nigeria through investments in farmer capacity building, infrastructure
improvement and novel technology to create sustainable routes to market for the
pastoralists.
To reach more pastoralists, Nestlé has started the installation of solar powered “Milk Banks” within 300KM radius of the communities where the pastoralists move to in search of fodder and water. One is already installed at Crossing, near the Ladduga Grazing Reserve. The technology, equipped with a single-phase compressor to achieve low power consumption to store and chill the milk collected at source, is the first of its kind in Nigeria.
“We will continue to scale up our milk collection efforts significantly by increasing our footprint, leveraging our Milk Banks,” Victoria Said.
“We are pleased with the work that our implementation partner, CBI Innovations Limited is doing on the ground to deepen and accelerate an inclusive business model within the project. We will continue to work with the Kaduna State Government and all stakeholders towards achieving Nestlé’s purpose of unlocking the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyone, today and for future generations.” she added.
Food
Nestlé partners with Africa Food Prize to strengthen food security and climate change resilience
Nestlé announced today that it is partnering with the Africa Food Prize to help accelerate the transformation of food systems in Africa, as a way of strengthening the continent’s food security and building greater climate change resilience.
The Africa Food Prize awards USD 100,000 to individuals and institutions that are pioneering agricultural and food systems transformation in Africa. The Prize puts a spotlight on uniquely impactful agri-food initiatives and technological innovations that can be replicated across the continent to increase food security, spur economic growth and development, and eliminate hunger and poverty in Africa. The Africa Food Prize is hosted by AGRA, an African-led and Africa-based institution that puts smallholder farmers at the center of the continent’s growing economy by transforming agriculture from a solitary struggle to survive into farming as a business that thrives. AGRA is headquartered in Kenya and works in 15 African countries.
This year, Dr. Eric Yirenkyi Danquah, a plant geneticist from Ghana, was awarded the prestigious prize during September’s AGRF Summit in Kigali, Rwanda. Dr. Danquah was celebrated for his outstanding expertise and leadership in establishing the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) and developing it into a world-class center for the education of plant breeders in Africa.
Nestlé will contribute CHF 100,000 to the Africa Food Prize, which will be awarded in 2023. Part of the contribution will go to the main award and part to a special category focusing on innovations that advance regenerative food systems.
Remy Ejel, Chief Executive Officer of Zone Asia, Oceania and Africa, Nestlé S.A. said, “Transforming agriculture to be more productive and sustainable is key to reducing hunger and improving livelihoods for the long term. We aim to support and amplify efforts that spearhead regenerative agriculture and food systems to enable better productivity, better nutrition and better incomes for people in Africa.”
Commenting on the partnership, Dr Agnes Kalibata, President of AGRA said, “We are happy to be partnering with Nestlé to recognize Africa’s best in food systems. The Africa Food Prize is a great opportunity to shine a bright spotlight on Africa’s outstanding minds, giving the rest of us a chance to learn and replicate their good work that is moving us closer to sustainable, inclusive and resilient food systems and achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2 on Zero Hunger.”
Nestlé’s partnership with the Africa Food Prize builds on its years-long work in Africa to improve the continent’s nutrition and agriculture. The company has taken great strides to expand access to affordable nutrition in many communities, for example, by fortifying Maggi bouillon cubes with iron in Central and West Africa. It is also pioneering regenerative dairy farming with the establishment of the first net zero dairy farm in Skimmelkran, South Africa.
In early 2022, Nestlé launched an innovative income accelerator program, aimed at addressing child labor risks and closing the living income gap for cocoa-farming communities in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Recently, Nestlé announced an investment of CHF 1 billion by 2030 under the Nescafé Plan to transition to sustainable coffee farming, including in Côte d’Ivoire.
Entries in the Africa Food Prize are evaluated by a judging committee comprising some of Africa’s greatest food system leaders. Winners are selected based on proven results and scalable efforts.
Submissions for next year’s Africa Food Prize will be open from January 2023 and winners will be announced at the AGRF, Africa Food Systems Forum, in September.
Click here for more information on the Africa Food Prize.
For Media Enquiries, contact:
Nestlé: Maxine Lim, Communications Manager, Zone Asia, Oceania and Africa
Maxine.Lim@nestle.com
Africa Food Prize: Boaz Keizire, Head of the Africa Food Prize Secretariat
BKeizire@agra.org
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