Food Insecurity and Violence

Food insecurity is rising globally. The concerns are that this would lead to food crises and social unrest worldwide. The surge attributed to recovery in food demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic is worsened by Russia\’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, rising food insecurity is more severe in developing countries, largely due to inherent factors such as climate change, violent conflicts, bad governance, and economic shocks. Africa remains the continent most impacted by the crisis and accounts for about 346 million people. As a result, millions of people are vulnerable to malnutrition and undernutrition. By 2030, Africa is predicted to have half the global total of malnourished people. In a report by Cadre Harmonise, 19.5 million people will face malnutrition and food insecurity across Nigeria between June and August 2022.

Nigeria\’s food crisis lurks behind rising security challenges and structural vulnerabilities. Even as climate change also impacts rural farming communities, the effects of violence and conflict have been dire. The farmers-herders clash is usually identified as one of the country\’s significant causes of food insecurity. Now, farmers and farming communities are targeted by Boko Haram insurgents and armed bandits. In recent years, 8.7 million people have experienced displacement in these states due to the violence that non-state actors instigated. The unmanaged conflict poses a challenge to millions of people, especially rural farmers who make up 70 per cent of Nigeria\’s farming population and produces 90 per cent of the nation\’s agricultural output.

The surge in insecurity over the years has further slowed economic activities. Security tensions have sacked farming communities, altered farming and food systems and hindered access to farmlands. In the first quarter of 2022, the record of Nigeria\’s agricultural sector was 3.16%, a decrease of 0.42% points from the preceding quarter, which recorded a growth rate of 3.58%. Inflation also has a negative impact. The nation\’s inflation rate is at an all-time high of 17.71 per cent in May of 2022 from 16.82 per cent in the previous month, adding pressure on the cost of living for low-income households whose incomes have not risen for close to three years. With increasing unemployment and 39 per cent of the total Nigerian population living in extreme poverty, many are taking to criminal enterprises to make up for lost earnings, fueling a vicious cycle of violence and criminality.

Indeed, Nigeria is witnessing a violent surge. The Nextier Violent Conflict Database recorded a 75% per cent increase in violent deaths between the first six months of 2021 and the first six months of 2022. A breakdown of the statistics shows that in the first half of 2021, 465 incidents leading to 2,148 fatalities were recorded compared to 970 incidents leading to 3,761 casualties in the first half of 2022. The rise in the statistics of deaths and the nationwide spread of violence is a call to action.

Many farming communities are caught in violent conflicts, climate and economic shocks and ineffective interventions. The Nigerian government and international partners must increase intervention efforts geared towards food security. While the United Nations has allocated $15 million in emergency funding to address rising food insecurity in Nigeria, the intervention will be ineffective if farming communities are not safe to return to their farmland. As agricultural production has become tied to security, all intervention efforts must have a comprehensive security strategy to promote farmers\’ safety and livelihood.

Food insecurity is exacerbating already existing conflict issues. Hence, urgent policy reforms and programmes should be targeted at solving the crisis and bringing out millions of Nigerians living in poverty. Increasing agricultural production will be the first reaction to solving Nigeria\’s food insecurity. However, considering rising violence and unmanaged climate action, efforts must be geared towards containing the increasing proliferation of non-state armed actors that pose severe threats to food security and livelihoods. If not sustainably addressed, Nigeria\’s food insecurity will be both a consequence of violence and an enabler of new conflicts.