By Rosheedat Akinkunle, JKNewsMedia Reporter
FOOD INSECURITY is worsening across conflict-hit communities in Nigeria’s North-east, where more than 3.7 million people are now struggling to access adequate food, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has reported.
Years of violence have displaced thousands of farmers who once sustained their families and local markets. Disrupted access to farmland and the collapse of food production systems have left many communities exposed to hunger and malnutrition.
As the lean season looms, households face mounting pressure, the ICRC alerts.
It also notes that the period typically marked by food shortages and soaring prices, is forcing many to drastically reduce their intake.
Diana Japaridze, Head of ICRC’s Maiduguri sub-delegation, warned that families in conflict-affected areas are increasingly unable to afford basic food supplies.
“This is the time when families must start buying food, but many conflict-affected households simply cannot afford it. They are forced to drastically limit their food intake,” she said, noting a spike in malnutrition among children under five, pregnant women, and nursing mothers.
The ICRC has stepped up its humanitarian response by supporting malnutrition stabilisation centres and introducing community education programmes aimed at improving care for vulnerable children. But emergency support is only part of the solution.
To address the deeper causes of food insecurity, the ICRC has said it has rolled out a year-round agricultural support programme across both rainy and dry seasons.
It is described as an initiative designed to improve resilience and strengthen local food production by supporting farming households with essential resources.
More than 21,000 farming households have so far received locally suited seeds and basic planting tools to help increase efficiency and reduce manual labour, it says.
These tools are vital in areas where access to mechanised farming remains limited or non-existent, ICRC adds.
The ICRC says its long-term intervention also includes a partnership with the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) to repair a major water facility now used for seed testing and greenhouse operations.
The agency also said its improved infrastructure is expected to contribute to the broader strengthening of Nigeria’s food production system.
Despite these interventions, many rural farmers continue to face dangerous journeys to access their farmland. Churi Ibrahim, a 70-year-old farmer from Gajibo, described the daily hardship of working in a region plagued by insecurity.
“Some people trek three hours just to reach their farms. By the time you get there, you’re exhausted, and returning home takes even longer,” he said.
“For many of us, it’s not just about farming—it’s about survival. When you can’t feed your children, every day becomes a struggle.”
The ICRC notes that its report stresses the urgent need for sustained humanitarian and development support in North-east Nigeria, adding that the conflict has not only uprooted lives but continues to undermine the region’s ability to feed itself.
