Eradicating Hunger in Nigeria by 2030: How Realistic? – STREAM Insight | Strategic Research and Management (STREAM) Insight is a leading Market Research Agency in West and Central Africa.

The cliché that Nigeria is the giant of Africa could leave one with many questionable thoughts. Unless our hunger status unequivocally confers on us such a powerful statement, we can be said to be many miles from being a giant economy.
Poverty is real, so is hunger. According to African Futures Project estimates, using the International Futures forecasting system, 418 million Africans (roughly 36%) currently live in extreme poverty. Over 5.2 million Nigerian children go to bed hungry each night, craving for food not as a luxury but a fundamental need of life. Even adults face similar doom!
With the much natural resources and workforce bestowed on Nigeria, one should wonder why the suggested target for eradication of hunger is over a decade from now, i.e. three tenures of government administrations. If it is that far despite all the efforts of previous years, is this truly a hope worth anticipating or yet another programmatic and theoretical developmental initiative.

In this article, we looked at what Sustainable Development Goals is all about, current challenges zero hunger faces, and how we can overcome these problems as a nation.

What is Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Sustainable development goals (SDGs), are sets of seventeen (17) well-articulated global goals put together by the United Nations in conjunction with various governments and agencies of member countries to ensure global sustainable development in the year 2030. The 17 broad goals which were designed to cover a wide range of social and economic development issues include:

No Poverty
Zero Hunger
Good Health and Well-being
Quality Education
Gender Equality
Clean Water and Sanitation
Affordable and Clean Energy
Decent Work and Economic Growth
Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
Reduced Inequality
Sustainable Cities and Communities
Responsible Consumption and Production
Climate Action
Life Below Water
Life on Land
Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
Partnerships to achieve the Goals

These goals are extensions of the MDGs to include areas that will ensure global sustainability for the next generation.
The United Nations’ timeline for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) ended in 2015. We unashamedly achieved the target of MDGs on the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger by 24.1%. Will No Hunger by 2030 be different?

Without being pessimistic, the outcome of the SDGs program will not be different if there are no calculated efforts to address the current challenges.

Practical Approaches to Eradicating Hunger in Nigeria by 2030

Root-Cause Tackling Approach.
All NGOs and development partners involved in this fight need to tackle the underlying causes of hunger and poverty as against addressing the transient effects of hunger and poverty. Causes of hunger include poverty, job instability, food shortage, poor infrastructure, unstable markets, insurgencies etc.
Target and Ensure Programme Delivery to the Right Beneficiary
In history, several programmes and interventions targeting particular problems have directly enriched a more substantial proportion of others and delivered benefits to wrong beneficiaries. Little wonder the issues remained when the projects rolled up. A practical method that will actively and substantially deliver to the target recipients need to be employed.
Innovation and More Investment in Agriculture
What more can better solve hunger if not food, and what can solve the problem of food better than agriculture. Hence, investment in agriculture and our food basket becomes paramount. Without the current assault on the principles of demand and supply, as being experienced in the case of partial border closure to boost local agricultural produce, we will only add more salt to our agricultural injury, digging the grave for no hunger 2030 goal.
Focus on micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs)
A study report by UNIDO 2012 shows that micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs) have the capacity and potential to drive the Nigerian economy to sustainable growth. In the World Bank Enterprise Survey of 2015, Nigeria however, indicates that MSMEs has increased to over 90% of the enterprises in the country, with sole proprietorship accounting for 81.6% of Small firms (1-19 employees), 60% of medium firms (20-99 employees) and 46% of firms with 100+ employees. The potentials in MSMEs if well harnessed can fast-track the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially item 2, no hunger.
Tackling insecurity
Boko haram insurgency, kidnapping, herder/farmer clashes, are all mitigating factors to food security. If this unrest persists longer than now, we can as well forget achieving 2030 goal. Our military needs to go beyond the technical defeat of insurgency in the North East. There must be enough peace to allow farmers to return to their farms. According to the United Nations on sustainable goals; “Agriculture is the single largest employer of labour in the world, providing livelihoods for 40 per cent of today’s global population. It is the largest source of income and jobs for poor rural households”
If our farmers can’t operate without the fear of kidnappers, insurgency or herdsmen attack, achieving the SDG goal of no hunger will remain a pipe dream.
Effective Monitoring and Evaluation
In our journey to eradicate hunger by 2030 effective monitoring and evaluation of efforts, performance and results are highly expedients, as this is the only way to improve current and future management of outputs, outcomes and impact, otherwise we can expect another XDG come 2031, targeting practically the same thing MDGs and SDGs have failed to achieve.