Appraisal Of The Legal And Institutional Frame Work On Food Sufficiency

1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
Frankly speaking food is a basic necessity of life, its important is seen in the fact that, it is the basic need for sustenance, and the adequate food intake in respect to quantity and quality, is a vital key for health and productive living. The importance of food is also revealed in the fact that it accounts for substantial part of a typical Nigeria household budget. However, taking into account that there are various classes of food, such as carbohydrates, protein, fat and oil, vitamin and mineral, and all these classes of food are required in good quantity and quality to maintain a healthy living. Currently there is a growing census that food insecurity and poverty problem are closely related in Nigeria identified.

Three pillars, which is under pin food insufficiency in Nigeria, to include.

• Food availability.
• Food accessibility.
• Food utilization.

This implies that a nation whose food production level is unable to satisfy these requirements is said to have problem of food insufficiency

However, in view of the foregoing problem of food insufficiency in Nigeria. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture in 2010 revealed that over 53million people in Nigeria are hungry, accounting to 30% of the country total population, and 52% live below poverty line.However, it is crystal clear that Nigeria attained self sufficiency in food production and a next exporters of food to other continent/region as at `1950’s and 1960s,

Thus, the fall in the food production level, has resulted in the increase in food importation in Nigeria, so as to meet up with the asses demand over the supply of such food in Nigeria. Despite government polices and intervention to prevent this menace, the question is whether these government policies has actually achieved the intended objective. It is in view of the foregoing that this research intended, to ascertain the major cause of this food insufficiency in Nigeria.

1.2 Statement of Problem

Food insufficiency is one of the major problems suffered by many countries which Nigeria is not left behind and many efforts has been made to improve food supply and solve the problem of hunger as Nigeria is not excepted in the struggle to prevent food crisis. Many hands are on deck to solve this looming problem; among them are research institutions, tertiary institutions, government agencies and non-governmental organization. Food sufficiency implies the availability of food at all time for every house hold, whereas food insufficiency is the opposite. This research tends to solve the problem of food insufficiency thereby promoting agriculture in Nigeria through the aid of institutional and legal frameworks. One of the problem that tends to prevent the actualizational of this dream, is poor equipment used by farmers, fragmentation of land into smaller portions little or no legal frameworks etc hinders large scale agriculture in Nigeria. In spite of this, farm mechanization is recommended as a necessity to increase food productivity in Nigeria and reduce hunger to the lowers minimum.

1.3 Objective of Study

The main objective of this study is to examine and evaluate the food sufficiency situation in Nigeria and the challenges of achieving sustainable food sufficiency for all Nigerians and probably the way forward towards its actualization.

1.4 Scope of the Study

This research work is limited to investigating the relevant course of food insufficiency in Nigeria, government effort with regard to policy programmes, in actualizing food sufficiency for Nigeria taking into account that food is one of the basic needs of man. This research is aimed at investigating the relevant jurisdiction of Nigeria, so as to ascertain the extent of food sufficiency in some of the jurisdictions, problems causing availability of enough food, and possibly prefer solution to them.

1.5 Significant of Study

The above mentioned problem of food insufficiency is common to all developing countries, and findings of this research will contribute to the application of policy design and analysis in policy evaluation which is one of the new research spearhead, especially within the framework of government, and spatial Information management (GSIM) programme, and evaluating policy effectiveness is also viewed by many as the basic tools for monitoring progress. Despite its usefulness, critical evaluation of policy effectiveness is not carried out in majority of the developing countries like Nigeria.

Therefore it is in this respect that this research work, intended to carry out a study so as to evaluate the effectiveness of food sufficiency policy in Nigeria, with the view to ensuring food sufficiency in Nigeria.

1.6 Research Methodology

This research work employed both primary and secondary sources in it research in order to achieve its aim and objectives the primary data in this context relate to legislation (statute) and case laws, whereas the secondary data, relate to relevant research on text books, journals, Newspaper, magazines, and also adopted both analystical and comparative method of research. …chapter one continues…