Expert Calls for End to Silos in Agricultural Projects as Farmers Face Losses
A development communications strategist, Feyikemi Adurogbangba, has urged the Federal Government and other stakeholders to stop implementing agricultural projects in silos, highlighting the persistent challenges faced by farmers despite numerous intervention programmes. This call comes amid recent outcries from farmers over significant losses in food produce due to price crashes, underscoring a cycle of issues that threaten both producers and consumers.
Persistent Challenges in Agriculture
Adurogbangba expressed deep concern over the ongoing struggles of farmers, noting that despite improvements in practices and infrastructure, many still encounter harvest-time price crashes. She pointed out that farmers often lack access to affordable storage at scale and have limited ability to delay sales or negotiate favourable prices. This situation has led to a paradox where high food prices for consumers coexist with financial losses for producers, exacerbating food insecurity and economic instability.
According to her analysis, recurring pressures such as rising input and transportation costs, volatile markets, and harvest-time losses are compounded by farmers' reliance on price spikes in one crop to offset losses in others. She decried the structural weaknesses in the agricultural system, where risk remains heavily concentrated at the farm level, leaving those least able to absorb it most vulnerable.
Root Causes of the Crisis
The communications specialist attributed the worsening agricultural situation to intensified macroeconomic pressures over the past three to four years. Key factors include:
- Sharp increases in input and fuel costs following subsidy removal.
- Climate variability and flooding disrupting production cycles.
- Foreign exchange volatility affecting fertiliser, packaging, and logistics costs.
Adurogbangba observed that these system-wide shocks have moved faster than programme gains could scale, thereby eroding many of the improvements achieved through past initiatives. She emphasised that while enhancing productivity, storage, and market information is essential, these measures are insufficient without mechanisms that stabilise margins and distribute risk more equitably across the value chain.
Call for Coordinated Action
To address these issues, Adurogbangba called for a shift from isolated pilot interventions to market-level stabilisation efforts. She urged coordinated stakeholders' action at both state and federal levels, advocating for deliberate measures to reduce farmers' exposure to seasonal price crashes. Her recommendations include:
- Building on the legacy of past agricultural programmes rather than restarting efforts with each new initiative.
- Fostering collaboration among actors across the value chain to avoid working in isolation.
- Implementing strategies that distribute risk more fairly, ensuring that farmers are not solely burdened with losses.
She warned that the crisis confronting farmers is persistent and will continue until risk is no longer borne by those least able to absorb it. By moving away from siloed approaches, stakeholders can create a more resilient agricultural system that benefits both producers and consumers, ultimately supporting sustainable food security in Nigeria.
