Vice-President Kashim Shettima has announced the launch of the federal government’s ‘Back to Farm’ initiative, aimed at assisting displaced farmers by providing agricultural inputs, insurance, and access to capital to restart food production.
Gatekeepers News reports that Shettima made the announcement during a panel session at the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. The event, according to a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, senior special assistant to the president on media, was themed “When Food Becomes Security”.
The vice-president said insecurity continues to be a major constraint to food production, as many conflict-affected areas coincide with Nigeria’s major food-producing regions.
“Most of the food baskets of our nation are security-challenged; that is why we are creating food security corridors and strengthening community-based security engagements so farmers can return safely to their land,” he said.
Shettima emphasised that the federal government now treats food security as more than a narrow agricultural concern, framing it instead as a strategic pillar for governance, economic stability, and regional cohesion.
“In Nigeria, we don’t look at food security purely as an agricultural issue. It is a macroeconomic, security and governance issue,” he said.
“Our focus is to use food security as a pillar for national security, regional cohesion and stability.”
He further noted that Nigeria is adapting to global trends and climate challenges by developing resilient food systems tailored to the country’s diverse ecological zones.
“Nigeria is a very large country, and there is an incestuous relationship between economy and ecology. In the Sahelian North, we are dealing with desertification, deforestation and drought. In the riverine South and parts of the North Central, flooding is our major challenge,” Shettima said.
The vice-president added that the government is promoting drought-resistant, flood-tolerant, and early-maturing varieties of staple crops such as rice, sorghum, and millet, while redesigning food systems in flood-prone areas to withstand climate shocks.
