Muritala Ayinla 
As part of the strategies to boost food production and guarantee food security, Lagos State Government has said that it planned to increase the quantity of food it produces and consumes from 20 24% to 40 – 50% by the year 2025. The government, which also said it was currently working on modalities to commence urban farming in the state, said that it has commenced discussion with some of its agencies on the reservation of spaces for urban farming.
The state’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms Bisola Olusanya, who disclosed this during an event organised by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, said that the state government was currently planning to convert abandoned spaces and buildings to urban farming. Speaking on the theme of the event titled; “Urban Farming: Feeding the Cities,” Olusanya described the theme as quite apt since the state was already planning to boost the quantity of food it produces and consumes from 20 – 24% to 40 – 50% by the year 2025.
She said: “But presently, with the population of Lagos State at about 22 million, the importance of food security cannot be over emphasised and increasing urban farming is not just a government goal, but also a necessity considering the anticipated population growth to 30 million by the year 2030. ‘‘Lagos State, being the commercial heart of the country, as well as, the economic hub of West Africa happens to be the smallest state in Nigeria.
The state is known to be swift in the adoption of technology and innovative techniques that can provide substantial quantities of food for the populace despite the challenge of limited landmass being faced in different parts of the state.’ According to her, the prospects of urban farming in Lagos State is paramount to the present administration as it will lead to the availability of nutritious and healthy foods, create employment for our teeming youths and equally act as a source of raw materials for the various manufacturing industries requiring the agricultural produce for their products.
