The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, made the call at the Regional Forum on Agroecology and Organic Agriculture in West Africa on Monday in Abuja.

He said such efforts would ensure food and nutrition security and food sovereignty in the region.

The forum theme is “Financing the Transformation of Sustainable Food and Nutrition Systems for Food Sovereignty in West Africa through Organic Agriculture and Agroecology: Considering What Policies, Mechanisms and Instruments?”

ActionAid Nigeria organised the forum in collaboration with the Forum on Agroecology and Organic Agriculture in West Africa, among others.

Mr Kyari, represented by Ibrahim Tanimu, the director of planning and policy coordination at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), said the forum was timely and critical for the life of the region, particularly Nigeria.

He identified finance as a major constraint in food system development and strategy for food sufficiency.

The minister said the forum should identify bottlenecks in accessing critical financing with emphasis on economic and fiscal policies and regulations impacting the sector’s development.

“I urge you to think critically about your role in promoting and leveraging financing strategies for agroecology and organic agriculture in West Africa that support local consumption and regional and global trade leveraging on the African Continental Trade Agreement (AfCTA) agreement.

“There should be experience sharing relating to sustainable use of resources for soil amendment, weed, pest and disease control, protection of biodiversity, ecosystem and environment.

“Let us work together to create a sustainable and resilient food system that will ensure a secured future, safety, and security for the West Africa region, the continent and the world,” he said.

The minister said food production and management, or the recent nomenclature termed “food systems”, continued to take priority in global discussions.

He said that agroecology and organic agriculture offered a compelling solution as the region strove to build a food-secured future.

Mr Kyari said the efforts of multilateral agencies and donors to fund agroecological and organic agricultural projects continue to complement government support in achieving sustainable funding.

He, however, said that annual budgetary allocation to agriculture was still below the agreed 2014 Malabo declaration of 10 per cent. The minister added that the 2024 budget was a 59 per cent increase towards achieving the Malabo declaration.

Mr Kyari said the ministry was committed to collaborative efforts to unveil systemic solutions supported by an enabling policy environment for food systems transformation.

Participants at the forum were representatives of agriculture, environment, finance and economy ministries in member states, the ECOWAS Commission, and the Head of the European Union delegation.

Others were from the Agroecology Programme in West Africa, the French Development Agency, ActionAid, the FAO/West Africa Regional Office, the West African Development Bank (BOAD), and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA).

Representatives of the West Africa Alliance for Agroecology (3AO) and West African Organic Network (WAFRONET), among others, also attended.

(NAN)