Agrifood systems are under extraordinary stress. Conflict, extreme weather, climate-related disasters, economic shocks, and widening inequality are exerting mounting pressure on farmland, water resources, and the biodiversity that sustains life (FAO, 2025). Fragile supply chains only deepen these strains, with disruptions rippling through households, markets, and farms globally. These converging crises make the 2025 World Food Day theme – “Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future” – timelier than ever.
The scale of the challenge is immense. Rural populations are declining just as the global population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050 – a milestone that demands a near doubling of food production. Meeting the needs of this future population will require unprecedented collaboration across borders, sectors, and generations. As FAO Director-General QU Dongyu underscored at the 2024 World Food Forum:
“The actions we take today will directly impact the future. We must produce more with less. Let's work towards a future that is more inclusive and more equitable.”
One of the most vital strategies to meet these challenges is engaging youth in agriculture. Tackling malnutrition, lowering the cost of healthy diets, ensuring food security, and building resilience to shocks all demand greater investment, innovation, and inclusion. Governments, international organizations, farmers, researchers, businesses, consumers – and especially youth and marginalized women – all have crucial roles to play in reshaping our agrifood systems for a better tomorrow.
In Nigeria, despite having 34 million hectares of arable land, agricultural potential remains largely underutilized – even as hunger deepens. In 2021, nearly 60% of Nigerians faced moderate or severe food insecurity, laying bare the gap between potential and performance. The problem isn’t the soil – it’s the system. Weak cold-chain infrastructure and fragmented logistics contribute to staggering post-harvest losses of 30–50%. Maize yields remain at just 2.0 tons per hectare – less than half of what’s achievable. Current projections indicate that about 30.6 million people across 26 states could face acute food and nutrition insecurity during the 2025 lean season, with 1.2 million likely in emergency conditions. At the same time, 5.4 million children and 800,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women are at high risk of malnutrition. Skyrocketing food inflation – approaching 40% – is eroding household resilience, while soil nutrient depletion, estimated at 42 kilograms per hectare annually, threatens long-term productivity.
Breaking this cycle requires more than incremental change – it calls for a systemic shift. Agriculture must be reimagined not as a subsistence activity but as a modern, data-driven enterprise. Technology, market access, investment, and youth engagement must anchor this transformation.
In Nigeria, food price inflation has surged well beyond general inflation. From 2019 to 2024, staple items like rice and cooking oil saw dramatic price increases. For many low-income households, staples are fast becoming luxuries. While global food production is sufficient, affordability remains a barrier – with many Nigerians unable to access a healthy diet. This has triggered a child nutrition crisis: nearly one in three Nigerian children suffers from food poverty, heightening their vulnerability to stunting, wasting, and other forms of life-threatening undernutrition. Nutrient-rich foods are prohibitively expensive for many families, creating cycles of micronutrient deficiency that impair cognitive development, weaken immune systems, and trap entire communities in poverty.
Resilient food systems require adaptive local responses supported by targeted, scalable interventions. Climate and conflict-related shocks consistently disrupt markets and deter investment. However, practices such as secure land tenure, crop diversification, and better farm inputs can mitigate their impact. Credit and insurance schemes tailored to smallholder farmers are essential for recovery and resilience. Locally, agroforestry and community-led conflict resolution can address overlapping challenges such as drought and resource competition.
To succeed, these strategies must be underpinned by inclusive, integrated policy frameworks. Governments, NGOs, private sector actors, and communities must act in concert – strengthening resilience across the value chain and ensuring that food security is not only achieved, but shared equitably.
Authors: Temilolu Bamiwuye; Olufemi Popoola; Adetunji Fasoranti; Opeyemi Olanrewaju; Oliver Kirui
