Regina Otokpa 
Experts in animal science have urged the Federal Government to adopt “climate-smart agriculture,” given the challenges climate change was posing to the country’s agricultural yield, in order to help Nigeria meet her demand for food and animal protein.
The experts made this known at the Joint Annual Meeting between the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIAS) and the Animal Science Association of Nigeria (ASAN) at the 28th ASAN conference on Tuesday in Abuja.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi who raised concerns over the desert encroachment hounding the once arable land in Northern Nigeria, and the rising tide of coastal flooding and erosion in the Southern part of the country, said Nigeria must rise to the occasion by mitigating climate change; raising its level of preparedness by putting in place policies and strategies that support climate-smart agriculture.
The minister added that for Nigerians to have access to a balanced and wholesome diet, the livestock sub-sector of the economy must be made viable enough not only to provide an affordable source of protein but create employment and earn foreign exchange for Nigeria.
He said: “This is the essence of the State of Emergency on Food Security as declared by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR on 13th July 2023.
“Mr President recognizes the significance and strategic importance of the livestock sub-sector in Nigeria’s quest for sustainable economic development, and has made it a priority sector in its economic development plans and programmes.”
National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullah Ganduje stated that the Federal Government was genuinely concerned about the country’s food insecurity situation and is doing everything possible to ensure all Nigerians have access to affordable and nutritious food on a sustainable basis, said the time has come when all critical stakeholders in the sector must join hands and close ranks to think out how animal husbandry could achieve a quantum lift.
Ganduje, who was honoured with an award by ASAN and NIAS, further stressed the importance of agriculture in providing livelihood for citizens saying, “The livestock sector contributes nearly 40% of total agricultural output in developed countries and 20% in developing ones, supporting the livelihood of at least 1.3 billion people worldwide.
“The Nigerian livestock sub-sector is very vital to the socioeconomic development of the country and it represents an important source of high-quality animal protein, contributing 36.5 per cent of the total protein intake of Nigerians.
“It also generates employment, and income, and earns foreign exchange for the country. The livestock sub-sector in 2022 was estimated to contribute about 17 per cent of the Agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 5.0 per cent of the national GDP.
“Globally, around 500 million pastoralists rely on livestock herding for food, income, and as a store of wealth, collateral or safety net in times of need. Locally, livestock production systems have the potential to contribute to the preservation of biodiversity and to carbon sequestration in soils and biomass.”
Ganduje who noted the increasing global awareness of climate change and studies indicating that livestock is one of the contributors to greenhouse gases, environmental degradation, and loss of biodiversity, called for concerted efforts to “be aimed at developing and or ensuring the sustainability of livestock systems that deliver economic and ecosystems services, without compromising the future integrity, health, and welfare of the environment, humans, and animals.”
President of the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science, Prof. Baba Abubakar, said the issue of food and nutrition security were very critical and central to the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government and as a regulatory body in the livestock sub-sector, NIAS would continue to strive to be very innovative, strategic and transformational.
“The Institute will work with all stakeholders from Government, Academia and, particularly, the industry, in order to be more impactful. Also, as animal scientists, we must make extra efforts towards building bridges of hope, tolerance, cooperation and unity across our profession.
President of the Nigeria Society for Animal Production (NSAP), Prof. Francis Abike, stressed the need to bring in more heat-tolerant animals in the face of climate change, warning that the subsistent nature of animal production in Nigeria cannot meet the protein needs of the country while calling for robust funding of the sector.
He therefore called on all tiers of government to redouble their efforts in providing a suitable production environment through policies as well as improving the funding of this important sector of the economy
