The Cadre Harmonisé (CH) Report for October has forecasted a severe food and nutrition crisis affecting approximately 33.1 million people across 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria, particularly between the months of June and August in 2025. This alarming projection stems from a comprehensive analysis conducted by various organizations, including the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, among other partners. The affected states pinpointed in the report include Sokoto, Zamfara, Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, and others, amounting to a broad geographic area under significant threat to food security.
Among the staggering figures, it is noted that approximately 514,474 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) residing in Borno, Sokoto, and Zamfara are part of these projected food crises. Currently, around 25 million individuals in the affected states are already facing food insecurity, reflecting a dire humanitarian landscape. Kouacou Koffy, the FAO Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, has urged for immediate countermeasures and a concerted approach to enhance food and nutrition security in Nigeria. He emphasized that collaborative efforts among government bodies, CH stakeholders, and international partners are essential to alleviate hunger and address the suffering of Nigeria’s most vulnerable populations.
Koffy pointed to a combination of factors contributing to the worsening situation, including economic conditions resulting in increased prices of staple crops and agricultural goods, climate-related challenges such as floods and droughts, and ongoing security threats. These complex challenges highlight the interconnectedness of various crises impacting the agricultural sector and food systems in Nigeria. The objectives of the CH workshops, which analyze food security data and contributory factors, are crucial in identifying populations and areas most at risk of food and nutrition insecurity. This analysis aims to propose targeted strategies to either prevent or mitigate the effects of ongoing food crises.
The CH analysis has been acknowledged as a highly reliable early warning tool vital for humanitarian programming, food security, and livelihood response targeting. It serves as a basis for prioritizing development programs that can effectively address and adapt to the evolving challenges in food security. As the insights from the report are crucial for policymaking, the commitment from Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, as reiterated by Permanent Secretary Temitope Fashedemi, is pivotal. The government vows to employ these findings to inform and shape food and nutrition security initiatives across various states in the country.
Key drivers of the ongoing food crisis, as identified by Balama Dauda, the CH Focal Person for the National Programme on Food Security, include soaring food prices and the costs of non-food items, alongside adverse weather conditions and insecurity. These drivers not only threaten food accessibility but also impact agricultural productivity, thus exacerbating the vulnerability of many communities. The call for urgent interventions is evident, as a failure to adequately address these issues can lead to increased malnutrition rates and a deeper humanitarian crisis.
In conclusion, the Cadre Harmonisé Report paints a troubling picture of Nigeria’s looming food and nutrition crisis, necessitating immediate and collaborative action from various stakeholders. With millions already facing hunger and a significant proportion of the population projected to be affected in the coming years, strategies must be deployed to address the underlying factors contributing to food insecurity. The collective effort to utilize the insights from the report can aid Nigeria in navigating these unprecedented challenges, striving toward a more secure food future for its citizens.
