IBADAN/Nigeria: Youth members of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), South-West Zone, have raised fresh concerns over the worsening security situation across the region, warning that persistent attacks on farmers and farmlands are threatening agricultural productivity, food security and the livelihoods of thousands of rural households.
The farmers made the call in a communiqué presented at the end of their meeting and read by the South-West Chairman of the group, Comrade Feyisayo Dada, during a news conference in Ibadan on Thursday. They appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the governors of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states to urgently strengthen security around farming communities to safeguard food production and restore confidence among farmers.
While commending the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and various agricultural intervention programmes designed to boost local food production, the group stressed that the gains of such initiatives would remain limited unless the growing insecurity confronting farmers was decisively addressed.
According to the youth farmers, incidents of kidnapping, violent attacks and ransom demands have forced many farmers to abandon their farmlands, leading to reduced cultivation and increasing concerns over food availability. They warned that continued insecurity could undermine efforts to attain national food sufficiency and worsen the country’s inflationary pressures on food commodities.
The association also identified the recurring destruction of crops by grazing animals as a major source of conflict between farmers and herders, urging governments at all levels to promote modern livestock management systems capable of reducing disputes while improving agricultural productivity.
Beyond security concerns, the group expressed dissatisfaction with what it described as the poor alignment of agricultural inputs supplied under federal intervention programmes with the ecological conditions of the South-West. It argued that seeds, fertilisers and other farming inputs should be tailored to the region’s unique climate and soil characteristics to maximise yields and improve the effectiveness of government interventions.
The farmers further advocated a more inclusive livestock development policy, urging authorities to extend support beyond cattle production to other high-value agricultural enterprises, including fisheries, poultry, piggery, sheep and goat farming, rabbit production, snail farming and beekeeping, which they said offer significant economic opportunities for young farmers.
They also called for accelerated mechanisation of agriculture through the establishment of tractor hiring centres, equipment leasing schemes, digital agriculture platforms and agribusiness innovation hubs to attract more young people into commercial farming and enhance productivity.
To stem the tide of insecurity, the association proposed the creation of specialised Agro-Rangers and Farm Protection Security Units, backed by joint security task forces, surveillance drones and community-based intelligence networks across the South-West. According to the group, protecting farmers and securing agricultural communities are critical steps toward achieving sustainable food production, economic growth and national stability.
