PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH AND FOOD SECURITY AMONG MAIZE-BASED FARMING HOUSEHOLDS IN NIGERIA
Maize is the most widely consumed cereal staple in Africa. According to FAO estimates, 977.6 million metric tons are cultivated annually on 42.5 million hectares with an average yield of 2 tons/ha across the continent. The wide gap between average global yields and Africa’s yields shows that low maize productivity prevails across the continent.
Though maize and its products constitute a possible means of combating food insecurity in Nigeria, Nigeria’s national yield (1.6 tons/ha) trails further away from the global average, pointing to poor maize productivity. Several local and national programs and policies initiated by the government have targeted improved agricultural productivity. Comprehensive empirical knowledge of maize productivity growth and its effects on food security is necessary to properly direct government policies toward addressing Nigeria’s low maize productivity and food security issues, especially among farmers.
Session two of the AGRODEP Working Paper Webinar Series will reflect on the effects of productivity growth on food security among maize-based farmers in Nigeria. The webinar discussions will draw on the findings of the AGRODEP Working Paper No. 02, “Productivity Growth and Food Security Among Maize-Based Farming Households in Nigeria,” which aims to contribute to the design of appropriate public policies that address the issues of poor productivity growth and food insecurity, especially among maize-based farmers.