Looming Hunger Crisis: Don’t wait for government, lets invest in agriculture – UK Afenifere tells Yoruba sons, daughters

By Clifford Ejenavi

Sequel to the focast by the United Nations (UN) that about 82 million Nigerians, representing 64 percent of the Nigerian population will be hit by severe hunger by 2030 which is less than five years away, the Afenifere group in the United Kingdom and Europe has appealed to all Yoruba sons and daughters around the world to come together to invest massively in Agriculture in Yoruba land to avert this looming hunger crisis upon their land.

In a statement signed and issued by the Secretary, Engr. Anthony Ajayi on Thursday July 11, 2024, the group noted that the Yoruba have always been known as one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa, adding that ancient Yoruba economy was primarily based on farming, hunting, fishing, craft specialization, trade with local and distant markets in exchange for products different to the ones they produced. “We have fertile land for planting of crops including yams, cassava, palm nut, kola nuts, cocoa, pepper, vegetables, cotton, plantain, bananas, pineapple, etc”, the group said.

It stated further, “The Yoruba worked with iron to create metal tools that made it easier to farm the land. Agricultural productivity assisted specialization of skills, new crops, and the introduction of stronger metal tools, which allowed for clearing and planting of larger areas of land. A number of specialized occupations were developed, two being metal-smithing and textile production. This increase in food production provided the opportunity for people to become more engaged in non-agricultural economic, social, and cultural activities which had previously been limited to times of the year when people were less busy in farming activities. Due to increased agriculture, the Yoruba community grew in size and large towns were created. Towns became organized by the type of work that people did. Farmers lived close to blacksmiths who made the tools they needed to farm their land.”

According to the statement, the Yoruba in Ekiti State were known for the production of yam, cocoyam, plantain, cassava and other root crops. “With migrants workers from the East and Middle Belt of Nigeria, Ekiti people were able to produce more than enough food that made them self-reliant. They were also good in livestock production with purely traditional methods such goats, sheep, dogs, fowls, among others. In fact, livestock production was the preoccupation of both men and women and it solely depended on traditional methods because people were not receptive to some innovations brought by modernity. Staple food and livestock
production were the economic backbone of the people before the era of cocoa boom”, it said.

The climate in the Northern part of Oyo State, the group stated is derived-savannah and down South is rain forest “which means anything can grow in that environment”, adding, “They can also grow cash crops like cashews, mangoes, cocoa, cassava and corn/maize. Apart from cash crops, they have opportunities for livestock farming in the state.”

“In Ogun State, agriculture is the economic mainstay. They produce rice, corn (maize), cassava (manioc), yams, plantains, and bananas. Cocoa, kola nuts, rubber, palm oil and palm kernels, tobacco, cotton, and timber are the main cash crops.

“In Ondo State, agriculture constitutes a major sector of the economy of the state. It is estimated to provide employment for about 65 percent of the economically active population of the state. Other commonly cultivated crops are yam, cassava, maize, vegetables and fruits, cotton and tobacco.

“In Lagos State, they produce leafy vegetables such as amaranthus, ugwu, bitter leaf, waterleaf, scent leaf etc. They also cultivate other crops such cassava, maize, rice, coconut, pineapple, banana, plantain and fish.

“In Osun State, the forest region has higher rainfall and relative humidity, tree crops such as cocoa, kola, oil palm and citrus are grown. Equally grown are arable crops such as maize, yam, rice, cassava and pepper.

“In Kwara State, they are largely based around agriculture, mainly of coffee, cotton, groundnut, cocoa, oil palm, and kola nut crops. As you can see, the Yorubas can feed themselves without having to rely on farm produce from other parts of Nigeria. The onions, pepper and tomatoes can be cultivated in Yoruba land as well if the people can be motivated and encouraged to invest in agriculture. We urge all Yoruba people to cultivate their land now to grow what they will eat rather than wait for government intervention that will benefit only a few.

“At this junction, we also call on the different state government in Yoruba land to ensure tight security of lives and properties, create the awareness and encourage the people to farm. We should not wait until the hunger crisis is in our hands before we do something. The current national economic hardship is enough for us to be innovative and creative to avoid further crisis.”