Food
Dialogues
Reimagine Food Systems is a policy-oriented, research-driven program designed to interrogate Nigeria’s agriculture and food security architecture through a political economy lens.
Hunger Politics as an Impending Crisis
Nigeria’s food system is approaching a systemic crisis, driven by climate variability, insecurity, market fragmentation, and governance deficits. According to the National Bureau of Statistics and the FAO, over 26 million Nigerians face acute food insecurity, with Northern states disproportionately affected due to conflict, desertification, and weak rural infrastructure.
Agricultural productivity remains constrained by low mechanization, post-harvest losses exceeding 40 percent for perishables, and limited access to credit and extension services. Policy incoherence across federal and subnational institutions further undermines coordinated responses, while donor-driven interventions often prioritize short-term outputs over structural reform. Moreover, food pricing volatility which is amplified by inflation and currency depreciation has eroded household purchasing power, exacerbating malnutrition and social vulnerability. Without a recalibration of governance, investment priorities, and local value-chain integration, Nigeria risks deepening food dependency, entrenching rural poverty, and destabilizing national development outcomes
Food Sovereignty As A Crucial Solution
Food sovereignty offers a strategic framework for repositioning Nigeria’s food system around local control, equity, resilience, and democratic governance. Rooted in evidence from agroecological transitions in comparable contexts, food sovereignty emphasizes farmer-centered policies, domestic value-chain development, and community-led resource governance. In Nigeria, this approach aligns with national development priorities by reducing import dependence, strengthening rural livelihoods, and improving nutrition security. Empirical data indicate that smallholder farmers who produce over 70 percent of domestic food remain marginal to policy design and financing flows, underscoring the need for institutional reforms that elevate local actors. A CSO-led Declaration on Food Sovereignty would codify commitments to land rights protection, inclusive market access, climate-resilient agriculture, and transparent food governance. By reframing food security as a sovereignty and justice issue, Nigeria can transition from crisis management to a sustainable, rights-based food system architecture.
This program is delivered in partnership with Heinrich Boell Foundation - NigeriaProgram Scope
A Research on Nigeria’s Food Systems
We will develop a research that provides a comprehensive political economy analysis of Nigeria’s agriculture and food security system, examining the interlinkages between policy frameworks, rural–urban mobility, value-chain governance, land-use dynamics, production systems, consumption patterns, and post-harvest losses. This research will respond to persistent structural contradictions in Nigeria’s food architecture, where recurrent policy cycles and donor-driven interventions have failed to deliver sustained food security outcomes.
A Digital Food Systems Map
The Digital Food Systems Tracker/Map is a flagship data and accountability platform designed to transform how Nigeria’s agricultural and food security landscape is understood, governed, and reformed. The platform will digitize and spatially integrate critical information on Nigeria’s agricultural terrain, including forestry resources, land-use patterns, soil arability, water access, and climate exposure.
A High Level Political Dialogue
The dialogue will focus on identifying strategic interventions required to strengthen agricultural governance, enhance smallholder inclusion, reduce post-harvest losses, secure land tenure, and improve market access and nutrition outcomes. Particular emphasis will be placed on bridging persistent policy gaps between federal and state-level frameworks, aligning donor investments with national priorities, and addressing political and institutional incentives that undermine implementation.
Impact Storytelling
We will turn research findings into visual stories, accompanied by bold artworks that translate data to subtle calls for accountability.
This Program will generate evidence-based analysis on hunger politics, value-chain governance, and the socio-political dynamics shaping food access, production, and distribution. The program will challenge externally driven narratives about Nigeria and reposition food security as a national development and sovereignty issue. Core initiatives include a research study on Nigeria’s food systems and governance structures, followed by a structured policy dialogue culminating in a CSO-led Declaration on Food Sovereignty.
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