Mixed reports trail Nigeria’s food insecurity

Published 12 Apr,2021 via The Nation - The number of people who experience food insecurity in Nigeria has risen since 2014 from various statistics gathered by The Nation.

Between 2014 and 2016, the rate of food insecurity rose by 6.6 per cent.

According to statista.com,a top level research portal, the prevalence of severe food insecurity in Nigeria between 2017 and 2019 was 9.1 per cent; 8.2 per cent was the position between 2016-2018, and 7.3 per cent between 2015 and 2017.

Confirming this is the Global Hunger Index, which has ranked Nigeria 98th out of the 107 countries with sufficient data to calculate 2020 GHI scores.

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and national levels.

Since 2000, according to GHI, the hunger index has hovered around 40 and 20 percent.

In 2000, the index stood at 40 per cent, 34.1 per cent in 2006; 32 per cent in 2012 and 29.2 per cent last year.

According to Knoema, an international source of decision-making data in the world, though Nigeria global hunger index fluctuated substantially in recent years, it tended to increase through the 1997 – 2020 period ending at 29.2 per cent.

Last year, Knoema noted that the value was 29.20 per cent reflecting 4.66 per cent change. The previous year, the value was 27.90, indicating -10.29 per cent change, while in 2018 the value was 31.10 reflecting 21.96 per cent change.

In 2017, the hunger index was valued 25.50; 2016-25-50; 2015-32.80;2014-14.70;2013-15.00; 2012-32.00; 2011-15.50 and 2010-29.90.

Meanwhile, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP) have warned that acute hunger is set to soar in Northern Nigeria and over 20 countries in the coming months without urgent and scaled-up assistance.

According to it, Yemen, South Sudan and northern Nigeria top the list and face catastrophic levels of acute hunger, with families in pockets of South Sudan and Yemen already in the grip of or at risk of starvation and death according to the Hunger Hotspots report.

WFP said in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, conflict is affecting the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. 3.4 million People are facing acute hunger and 300.000 children are suffering from acute malnutrition.

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