Stakeholders at the National Agroecology Conference in Abuja call for urgent policy reform to protect Nigeria’s food systems and environment
As Nigeria grapples with worsening food insecurity and environmental degradation, experts and stakeholders have called on the Federal Government to urgently establish a national agroecology policy framework to guide sustainable agriculture and restore local food sovereignty.
The call was made on Monday in Abuja, during the National Stakeholders’ Conference on Advancing Agroecology Principles and Practice, where participants condemned the government’s continued reliance on chemical-intensive and industrial farming methods.
Dr. Ifeanyi Casmir, a prominent advocate for agroecology and environmental health, described the absence of an agroecology policy as a glaring gap in Nigeria’s commitment to sustainable development.
“Agroecology directly addresses at least seven Sustainable Development Goals, including Zero Hunger and Responsible Consumption. But corporate interests continue to dominate the sector, sidelining smallholder farmers and traditional practices,” Dr. Casmir said.
He stressed that policy action must begin at the executive level and be backed by legislative support.
“There’s nothing stopping the Ministry of Agriculture from drafting a bill to establish a national agroecology framework,” he added, while commending Senator Sabi Abdullahi, Minister of State for Agriculture, for showing openness to agroecological approaches.
Associate Professor Ado Garba, of the Federal University, Duste, and President of the Food Awareness Promotion Initiative, warned that Nigeria is ceding control of its food systems to foreign agribusiness interests through the unchecked adoption of GMOs and synthetic inputs.
“We’ve shifted from nutrition-focused agriculture to a dangerous obsession with yield. More food doesn’t mean better food. We’re sacrificing our health and independence,” he said.
“Agroecology puts control back into the hands of Nigerian farmers. Even planting onions or peppers in your backyard is a form of resistance and independence.”
Delivering the keynote, Professor Adeoluwa Olugbenga positioned agroecology as a strategic solution to Nigeria’s twin crises of food insecurity and climate vulnerability.
“Agroecology builds resilience, restores ecosystems, empowers communities, and guarantees food sovereignty. We must move it from the margins to the center of national agricultural policy,” he urged.
Earlier, Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), emphasized that food security is not enough without food sovereignty.
“Food availability is meaningless if communities don’t control how that food is grown. Agroecology allows us to reconnect with our land, our traditions, and our values,” he said.
“Farmers—not corporations—should decide what seeds we use and how the land is managed.”
The conference brought together farmers, academics, civil society leaders, and policymakers who collectively rejected industrial-scale, chemical-based farming systems, calling instead for inclusive, community-led, and biodiversity-driven approaches to food production.
Participants stressed that food should be treated not merely as a commodity, but as a tool of health, dignity, and national self-determination.
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