Benue State Unveils Five-Year Food Security Plan to Boost Farming and Peace

The Benue State Government has launched a five-year Strategic Food Security Plan. This plan aims to boost agricultural production, improve the lives of farmers, and tackle the effects of insecurity on food production in the state.

The plan was introduced under the Enhancing Food Security and Peacebuilding in Nigeria through Strategic Planning Project (EFSPP). It brought together government officials, farmers, academics, traditional leaders, and other important players.

At the launch, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Benjamin Ashaver, called on ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to take charge of the plan. He wants them to ensure it is successfully carried out.

Danjuma Adejo, who is the Governor’s Technical Adviser on Agriculture, represented Mr Ashaver at the event. He also urged local councils, traditional groups, and farming communities to support the initiative and keep the teamwork that created the strategy going.

Mr Ashaver officially endorsed the five-year food security plan. He stressed that Governor Hyacinth Alia is committed to making it work. There will be a review in 2028 and a final evaluation in 2031.

He praised the team from the Supply Chain Research and Innovation Hub (SCRIH) for creating the plan. Ajibola Oladipo and Shalem Shiekuma led this team.

The commissioner expressed concern that years of attacks by armed herders have forced many farmers to leave their land. This has disrupted farming and reduced food production in the state.

"Benue State’s agricultural fortunes have, in recent years, been tested by forces beyond the ordinary challenges of farming. Insecurity has driven farmers from their farmlands. Displacement has fractured our planting and harvest seasons. Land-use conflicts between herders and farming communities have destroyed the trust that once held rural communities together," he said.

Akange Edward presented the Strategic Food Security Plan to the state government. He explained that the document offers a framework to stabilize agricultural production, strengthen land governance, rebuild rural economies, and improve logistics and market systems.

He stated that the strategy is meant to address the underlying issues that hurt food production and rural livelihoods in the state.

Mr Edward highlighted that the ongoing attacks on farming communities reveal deeper problems affecting both agriculture and peace.

"The challenge confronting Benue is not merely agricultural underperformance, but structural fragility at the intersection of food systems and conflict dynamics," he said.

He noted that Benue is known as Nigeria’s "Food Basket of the Nation" due to its fertile land, plenty of water, and hardworking farmers. But insecurity, displacement, land-use conflicts, climate issues, and poor infrastructure have greatly reduced agricultural productivity.

The Strategic Food Security Plan aims to improve food production, strengthen resilience among farming communities, and support lasting peace and economic growth in the state.