Agricultural stakeholders have called on the Federal Government to strengthen local seed production, promote sustainable farming and encourage household food cultivation, warning that excessive dependence on foreign suppliers could threaten Nigeria’s food sovereignty and long-term food security.
The stakeholders made the call on Friday during a World Food Day media briefing and the launch of the Let’s Go Planting movement at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.
The event was organised by the Centre for Food Safety and Agricultural Research (CEFSAR), in collaboration with the LoveWorld Ministry of Food Technology and Sovereignty, to encourage Nigerians to participate actively in food production and promote safe and sustainable agricultural practices.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Minister of the LoveWorld Ministry of Food Technology and Sovereignty, Pastor Ifeoma Chiemeka, described the initiative as a global movement aimed at restoring public participation in food production and strengthening national food sovereignty.
Conveying the greetings of the President of LoveWorld, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, Chiemeka said the campaign sought to highlight the links between food production, public health, economic development and national independence.
“Let’s Go Planting is more than a campaign. It is a worldwide awakening,” she said, urging individuals, families, communities and governments to become active participants in the food value chain.
Chiemeka expressed concern over the growing influence of large corporations and commercial interests in the global food system, particularly through agricultural biotechnology, restrictive seed patents and technologies she said could limit farmers’ independence.
According to her, excessive dependence on external interests for essential agricultural inputs could weaken Nigeria’s ability to determine how its food is produced.
She said the movement would promote organic, safe and regenerative farming, alongside the preservation of indigenous seeds and traditional agricultural practices.
“With Let’s Go Planting, we rise to liberate homes, communities, economies, and governments. We rise to restore and promote organic, safe, pesticide-free, regenerative, and indigenous seeds and farming systems,” she said.
Chiemeka also expressed the ministry’s readiness to collaborate with the Federal Government, the National Assembly and other African governments to advance food sovereignty and improve access to safe, nutritious and affordable food.
She subsequently declared the 2026 Let’s Go Planting movement open.
Why Nigeria Must Produce Its Own Seeds
The Executive Director of CAfPRA and Deputy Director of CEFSAR, Segun Adebayo, said food availability alone did not guarantee food sovereignty, particularly when a country depended heavily on external suppliers for seeds needed by its farmers.
He warned that excessive reliance on imported seeds, especially varieties farmers could not readily preserve and replant, could expose Nigeria’s agricultural sector to disruptions in international supply chains.
Adebayo called for increased investment in locally produced and regenerative seeds that farmers could preserve and reuse, arguing that greater control over seed production was essential to building a resilient and self-sustaining food system.
“Everybody must eat. Food is not discriminatory. But we have to be very careful about what we eat because what we eat matters a great deal,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to embrace household food production by cultivating vegetables, fruits and other crops in backyards, gardens, schools and other available spaces.
According to him, food production should not be left exclusively to commercial farmers, as individuals, families, schools and communities could help reduce hunger and improve access to nutritious meals.
“Let’s Go Planting is not just a slogan; it is a call to action,” Adebayo said, urging Nigerians to move beyond discussions about food security and take practical steps towards growing their own food.
Stakeholders Advocate Safer Farming
Also speaking, the Director of the Department of Agriculture at the LoveWorld Ministry of Food Technology and Sovereignty, Pastor Tom Obiazi, raised concerns about pesticide use and other agricultural chemicals, advocating farming practices that protect soil health, the environment and human wellbeing.
Drawing on his experience growing up around an agricultural plantation, Obiazi said agricultural progress should not be measured solely by increases in crop yields but should also consider the long-term effects of farming methods on food safety and environmental sustainability.
He called for greater attention to organic farming and appropriate alternatives that could reduce reliance on agricultural chemicals associated with potential health and environmental risks.
The Chief Executive Officer of Women Food, Juliet Okumoku Eniakor, stressed the importance of access to quality organic seeds in improving food production and safety.
Eniakor said her company prioritised organic seeds for farmers supplying its food-processing operations, adding that the initiative provided an opportunity to educate Nigerians on sustainable farming and healthier food choices.
Similarly, Ifeanyi A. Nwaokolo, representing the LoveWorld Ministry of Food Sovereignty, called for stronger collaboration among farmers, researchers, investors, food processors and distributors to strengthen the country’s food system.
He emphasised the need to make diverse seed varieties available to farmers, particularly those that could be replanted after harvest, to reduce dependence on external suppliers and build domestic agricultural capacity.
Lucasamo of Lou Freys Global Enterprise said the initiative had reinforced efforts to promote healthier approaches to food production, processing and packaging.
He urged Nigerians to pay greater attention to the quality and safety of the food they consume, noting that responsible processing and handling were essential to sustainable food production.
Lawmakers Push Nutrition Reforms
Beyond agricultural practices, stakeholders highlighted the need for stronger legislative action and sustained public investment in nutrition and food security.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Hon. Chike Okafor, represented by the committee’s clerk, Adm. Agenti Milicent, reaffirmed the legislature’s commitment to tackling malnutrition and strengthening Nigeria’s food and nutrition security framework.
Okafor said the committee, established in December 2023 and inaugurated in February 2024, had worked to mobilise state legislatures and promote legislative action on nutrition and food security.
He disclosed that nutrition and food security committees had been established in 32 states, leading to the formation of the National Legislative Network on Nutrition and Food Security.
According to him, the network was developing legislative proposals to address critical nutrition challenges, including extending maternity leave to six months and regulating the sale of adulterated vegetable oils in open markets.
He also disclosed that the Nutritionists Registration Council of Nigeria Bill (HB.2659), which seeks to establish a regulatory framework for the nutrition profession, had passed second reading in the House of Representatives.
A public hearing on the bill was scheduled for October 20, 2026.
The committee chairman further said the National Nutrition Bill, an executive bill, was at an advanced stage ahead of its transmission to the National Assembly for legislative consideration.
He identified effective oversight of nutrition funding, protection of local food systems and safeguards against the aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods to children as priorities in improving nutrition outcomes.
Okafor warned that malnutrition and food insecurity remained major threats to Nigeria’s socioeconomic development, noting that rising inflation had placed additional pressure on households struggling to afford adequate and nutritious meals.
He called for stronger partnerships among government institutions, development partners and private organisations to address the country’s food and nutrition challenges.
The stakeholders maintained that achieving food sovereignty would require sustained investment in domestic agricultural production, improved access to quality seeds, responsible farming practices and effective nutrition policies.
They urged Nigerians to embrace backyard gardening and other forms of household food production, stressing that stronger local capacity, supported by effective government policies and collaboration across the agricultural value chain, would be critical to building a more resilient food system.
