Nigeria has identified successful implementation of agricultural policies and food systems as critical factors that can reduce hunger and contribute to better nutrition, especially among the world’s poorest people.

In his closing remarks at the Global Hunger Event, hosted by British Prime Minister, David Cameron, at the weekend, Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, gave a five-point commitment of the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration to improve nutrition and minimise hunger between now and 2015.

According to a statement by the ministry, Adesina gave the first commitment as “to make agriculture and food systems nutritious by expanding bio-fortification.”

The minister pointed out that so far in the current year, three pro-Vitamin A cassava varieties had been released, while orange flesh sweet potato, rich in beta carotene, was being promoted to reach one million households by 2015. “Over 100,000 hectares of quality protein is presently being cultivated,” he added.

The second commitment is to “ensure that agriculture and health systems work together for good nutrition by ensuring constant availability of nutritious food at affordable prices, all year round.”

The country also promised, as its third commitment, to heavily “back research which makes agriculture more nutritious and finds ways to improve the nutritional quality of key staple crops, increase production of fruits and vegetables, support livestock production and protect farmers against the uncertainty of climate change.”

The minster remarked that the fourth commitment was to engage the private sector on the tasks of reducing hunger across the globe, adding that “the fifth commitment is to work for more nutritious crops for all.”

According to Adesina, “critical to the success are women, both as farmers growing nutritious crops and as mothers who strive to ensure that their children are well-fed.”

Nigeria applauded the commitment being made by different countries of the world, especially the host-country of the event, United Kingdom, and other partners for better access to nutritious foods through sustainable production systems.

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