Strategies for Increasing Food Production and Food Security in Nigeria

Reduction in food production, food insecurity, and youth unemployment have characterized the present day status of the Nigerian economy. These problems have been associated with an increase in population without a corresponding increase in agricultural productivity and favorable policies. This article discusses methods to promote increased food production, poverty alleviation, and food security in Nigeria. It highlights the importance of agriculture to food security and the need to empower smallholder farmers, especially women and youth. The need for holistic agricultural research, encompassing various stakeholders in the government and non-governmental sectors of the agricultural value chain, is also emphasized.     

西北地区食物结构及其安全现状评估

食物是国民经济基础之基础,食物安全问题是世界各国共同面临的重大问题。及时把握和正确判断一个国家或者地区的食物安全状况,对其经济和社会可持续发展具有非常重要的现实意义。在对2000—2014年西北地区7个省(区)的食物结构及生产量、人均食物占有量和主要食物的平均人日热量拥有量进行分析的基础上,对西北地区的食物安全现状进行了评估和判断。结果表明:2000—2014年西北地区7个省(区)粮食、蔬菜、水果、肉蛋奶、棉花、油料等食物产量整体上在波动中呈增长趋势,食物种类趋向多样化和丰富化;近5年西北地区粮食和水果人均占有量均超过全国人均水平,2000—2014年人均奶类、棉花和油料占有量大于全国人均占有量,但人均蔬菜、禽蛋和肉类占有量低于全国人均水平;除青海地区外,其他6个省(区)2014年人均每日热量拥有量都达到营养学要求;2000年以来,西北地区食物安全程度不断提高,但2014年,西北地区食物安全仍处于一个较低安全水平;当前西北地区仍面临着水资源缺乏、耕地面积和质量有限、农业技术设备落后等挑战,使该地区食物安全受到威胁,针对这些问题,文章提出了调整农业结构,保护生态环境,确保食物安全可持续发展等对策。     

江西省可持续食物安全评价

选取了化肥用量等22个指标,采用层次分析法测算江西可持续食物安全度。结果表明,1978~2003年江西可持续食物安全度逐步提高,目前食物处于安全水平。江西食物生产因子、资源禀赋因子和气候因子安全水平较高,对食物安全较有保障;食物保障因子和社会经济因子安全水平偏低,是可持续食物安全的薄弱环节;可持续环境因子的安全水平正逐步加强,有利于提高可持续食物安全度。     

Traditional Food Crops and Their Role in Food and Nutritional Security in Kenya

In Kenya, traditional food crops play an important role in food and nutritional security, especially in the dry parts of Kenya. This study set out to document the most important traditional food crops in Kenya and highlight their production levels, production ecologies, as well as their nutritional value. The findings reveal that the relative importance of traditional food crops differs from one area to another and, while some are produced for subsistence use; others, like sweet potatoes, are grown for commercial purposes. Despite their potential contribution to food and nutritional security, production of traditional food crops is far below that of maize (the main staple food in Kenya). The authors recommend rigorous promotion to increase their production and consumption, since traditional food crops are grown in the arid and semi-arid parts of the country where maize does not perform as well.     

Irrigation,a productive tool for food security – a review

Water scarcity in agriculture is becoming a major problem due to increasing demand from nonagricultural uses and intensive crop management on existing croplands to meet the needs of an expanding global population. Efficient use of the available irrigation water is therefore of important concern. Even though intensive research in the areas of crop physiology, irrigation engineering, agronomy and agricultural economics has developed several ways to improve the efficiency of irrigation water, a multidisciplinary approach is often regarded as the best future path to achieve further enhancements in meeting the forthcoming challenge of producing more and safety foods. Failure of irrigation production has profound effects on the welfare of all those employed in it and also their customers. Indeed, the scale of the industry is such that world food prices will be influenced by the overall performance of the irrigation farmers, but low food prices are essential to the welfare of the poorest people. The contribution of irrigation and water management to increased food production must come through both expansion of irrigation and improved management of existing water supplies. This review presents the past, current and future panorama of irrigation as a viable tool in ensuring food security on the globe. Considering past trends, this review empathizes that future irrigation technologies should be focused on providing the leadership and capacity to capture, develop and promote new irrigation practices and management systems to optimize production.     

Women's Participation in Development Programs and Food Security Status

Women's participation in development programs is supposed to achieve a process of equitable and active involvement of women in the formulation of development policies and strategic activities. It is, therefore, important to determine the level of participation of women in developmental programs as a basis for sustainable food security initiatives in rural households. To that end, a stratified sampling technique was used to select participating and non-participating women in community development associations in the Ogbomoso South Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. The study found that 92.7% of the respondents are aware of the development programs in the area, while a majority of them (60.9%) show average levels of participation. Correlation analysis established a negative relationship between participation and the food insecurity profile of the respondents; i.e., participation aided their food security. The study recommends that development programs be used to advance food security initiatives among women in rural areas.     

福建省粮食生产潜力与粮食安全对策

采用经改进的农业生态区域法计算福建省29个代表站水稻、小麦、甘薯三种作物气候—土壤生产力,详细分析了福建各农业区粮食作物气候—土壤生产力的构成特点;利用历史数据对影响福建省粮食安全的主要因素包括耕地面积、粮食单产和人口进行了时空变化分析和预测(2050年),以分析未来福建省的粮食安全程度。结果表明:福建省人均粮食占有严重不足,不足低消费水平(400kg a-1人-1)的态势将持续相当长一段时间,粮食安全形势十分严峻,在闽东南、闽南一带尤为突出。为此,本文提出了保证福建省粮食安全的对策建议。     

Enhancing Household Food Security Under Changing Climatic Conditions: A Case Study of Gokwe North and Hurungwe Districts in Zimbabwe

The effects of climate change are largely felt by smallholder farmers in southern Africa who rely on rain-fed agricultural production. This study used data from a cross-sectional household to investigate the factors that influence a household's adaptive capacity. Results show that there is a positive and statistically significant correlation between receiving information on crop production (p <.01), access to early warning information (p <.01 and adaptive capacity. Without adaptation, it is impossible for smallholder farmers to enhance food security. The study recommends that there is need to improve farmers' knowledge of climate change adaptation technologies and access to early warning information.     

Biofortification of Trace Elements in Food Crops for Human Health

Micronutrient deficiencies have been reported in food crops worldwide. Several macro- and micronutrients are essential for human health. However, among these elements, the trace elements zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), iodine (I), selenium (Se), and cobalt (Co) are limiting in the diets of much of the world's population. According to United Nations estimates, about 1 billion people, especially woman and children, are suffering from malnutrition of trace elements, especially in Africa, Asia, and South America. Improving bioavailability of these elements in food crops is an important strategy to overcome trace-element deficiencies in food crops and improving human health. Genetic variability in micronutrient contents in the grain of crops such as rice, corn, wheat, barley, soybean, and dry bean is widely reported in the literature. Hence, use of genetic variability among crop species and genotypes within species is an important strategy to achieve biofortification of grain of staple food crops. Other practices that can be adopted to improve bioavailability of essential elements in food crops are adopting appropriate agronomic practices, such as adequate rate, effective sources, and effective methods of fertilizer application. Use of biotechnology is also feasible to biofortification of staple food crops. Planting indigenous and traditional food crop species with high nutritive value is another important strategy to improve trace elements in human food.     

安徽省1995-2013年粮食生产与耕地压力动态变化特征及驱动因素

[目的]探索安徽省粮食安全与耕地压力动态变化及驱动因素,为管理层制定粮食安全政策提供决策参考.[方法]运用耕地压力指数模型、C-D生产模型,采用偏最小二乘回归方法,对安徽省1995-2013年粮食生产与耕地压力的动态特征及驱动因素进行综合分析.[结果](1)人口增长与耕地面积减少的矛盾突出.人口由1995年6 000万,增至2013年6 929万,呈线性增长态势,而耕地面积则由1995年4.29×106 hm2减少至2013年4.19×106 hm2,呈下降态势;(2)研究时序内,耕地压力指数均值为0.345,承载力指数均值为0.747,耕地资源禀赋尚处盈余状态,为全国商品粮盈余地区,平均盈余率达25.32％;(3)粮食作物播种面积、农业固定资产投资对粮食生产具有正向影响,边际弹性系数分别为0.001 458,0.116 508,有效灌溉面积、劳动力、农机总动力、化肥、农膜、农药、农村用电量对粮食生产具有弱负向影响.[结论]加大财政支持力度,加快推进农业现代化进程,增强科技对粮食生产的贡献率,是保障安徽省粮食生产可持续发展的重要途径.     

中国主要粮食作物产后损失特征及减损潜力研究

为减少作物产后损失,增加粮食供应数量。该文基于物质流分析方法以及农产品流动特征,建立了一套量化作物产后损失的计算方法,在已有数据基础上,重点分析了2010年中国三大粮食作物(水稻、小麦和玉米)产后(包括收获、运输、干燥和储藏)损失特征及其减损潜力。结果显示,中国作物产后损失率较高,水稻、小麦和玉米产后综合损失率分别为6.9%、7.8%和9.0%,三者平均损失率7.9%,高于发达国家作物产后损失水平。粮食产后损失中,储藏环节损失比重最高,损失比例达到40.3%,其次是收获环节,为31.4%,运输和干燥环节损失较小,分别为11.1%和17.2%。农户储藏和收获是作物产后减损的重点环节。情景分析结果显示,通过改进产后不同环节技术条件,可以有效减少作物产后损失,情景5(粮食产后环节技术条件达到最优)三大粮食作物产后损失率均可以降低到4.0%以下。由此可见,中国粮食作物产后减损存在较大潜力,减损重点应落在农户储粮环节以及作物收获环节。作物产后减损需要国家农业科技政策作保障,通过提升农户科学储粮意识以及提高作物机械收获水平和改进作物收获质量等综合措施,最终实现中国粮食作物产后损失的降低。研究结果为中国粮食产后减损政策和措施的制定及实施提供借鉴。     

江苏省耕地资源态势与粮食安全对策研究

耕地安全是粮食安全的基础和保障。分析了改革开发以来江苏省耕地总量和人均耕地的变化趋势,运用多元线性回归模型对其2020年的耕地数量作出了预测;并对2020年全省耕地最低需求量进行了初步预测。结果表明在未来一定时期内,江苏省耕地资源供需矛盾和粮食安全问题较为突出。解决粮食安全问题的根本途径在于保护省内现有耕地资源,稳定和提高粮食综合生产能力。     

粮食安全的耕地资源保障措施研究

良好的耕地资源状况是保障粮食安全重要屏障.耕地数量、质量和生态环境状况分别对粮食安全产生不同程度的影响,协调耕地保护主体之间关系,切实发挥耕地保护政策的效用、调整耕地保护目标、大力开展土地整理、改革现行征地制度、进口部分粮食是提高我国粮食安全耕地保障程度有效途径.     

吉林省食品安全信用体系存在的问题与对策

目前,吉林省食品安全事故频发的重要原因就是食品生产经营企业信用的严重缺乏,为此,本文分析了吉林省食品生产企业存在的问题及产生问题的原因,并提出了加快食品安全信用体系建设的对策。     

吉林省食品安全信用体系存在的问题与对策

目前,吉林省食品安全事故频发的重要原因就是食品生产经营企业信用的严重缺乏,为此,本文分析了吉林省食品生产企业存在的问题及产生问题的原因,并提出了加快食品安全信用体系建设的对策。     

Resource flows,crops and soil fertility management in smallholder farming systems in semi‐arid Zimbabwe

Poor soil fertility and erratic rains are major constraints to crop production in semi‐arid environments. In the smallholder farming systems of sub‐Saharan Africa, these constraints are manifested in frequent crop failures and endemic food insecurity. We characterized a semi‐arid smallholder farming system in south‐western Zimbabwe to assess crop production, nutrient use and factors that constrain productivity. The farming system was studied using resource flow mapping, farmer interviews and calculations of crop production over three cropping seasons (2002/2003, 2003/2004 and 2004/2005) to capture variability between years. Farmers were categorized into three groups: better resourced, medium resourced and poorly resourced. Better resourced farmers produced adequate grain for basic household consumption, except in the drought year (2002/2003). Poorly resourced farmers had large grain deficits, whereas the medium resourced class had smaller deficits. Better resourced and medium resourced farmers produced adequate amounts of staple cereal in two of the seasons, while poorly resourced farmers produced inadequate amounts of food in all three seasons. All farmers produced less than 300 kg/ha of legumes per season. Lack of seed was cited as the main reason for poor legume production. Better resourced farmers used animal manure (2000–5000 kg per season) and some fertilizer on their cereal crops, while the medium resourced group used less manure (1000 kg or less) and no fertilizer. The use of manure varied strongly across the years. Poorly resourced farmers used no nutrient inputs on any of their crops. All groups had negative nitrogen balances during the three cropping seasons, although the values varied strongly between seasons. Investigation of the potential strategies for developing sustainable production systems are required to address the problems of food security in the semi‐arid parts of the country and the region.     

Potential of Minor Food Crops and Wild Plants for Nutritional Security in the Developing World

Minor food crops, often known as “poor man's crops,” are currently neglected or underutilized and have become extinct or rare. These crops can, however, contribute substantially to nutritional security in poor communities as they contain essential and trace elements and thrive in harsh climatic and poor soil conditions and show tolerance to water stress, weeds, pests, and diseases. Genetic improvement for food value is therefore needed so as to minimize hunger, malnourishment, and underfeeding. This would be possible with regional and international cooperation for intensive studies, development, and extension.     

基本农田整理与我国粮食安全的浅析——以河北省香河县刘宋镇基本农田整理项目为例

粮食是人类赖以生存和社会得以发展的基本生活资料，粮食安全是任何国家都必须要重视的基础性问题。分析了我国面临的粮食安全形势，提出大力开展基本农田整理是实现我国粮食安全的重要保障。以河北省香河县刘宋镇基本农田整理项目为例，从社会效益、生态效益以及经济效益三方面分析了该项目实施后对我国粮食安全的有利影响。对今后基本农田整理项目的实施及构筑我国粮食安全可以起到一定的指导作用。     

土地退化对全球粮食安全的威胁及防治对策

从宏观的角度阐述了全球土地退化状况及其对土地生产力的影响和对粮食安全的威胁 ,并针对不同的土地利用类型提出防治土地退化的对策