Benue State Launches Five-Year Strategic Food Security Plan
Benue State in north-central Nigeria has launched a five-year Strategic Food Security Plan designed to strengthen agricultural production, build resilience among rural communities and support sustainable peace in the state, according to AllAfrica, reporting on Premium Times.
The plan is intended to function as a roadmap for the state’s food and farming sector over the coming half-decade, coordinating efforts across agriculture, rural development and community stabilisation. Officials outlined that the framework will guide investment, programme design and partnerships aimed at lifting productivity and reducing the vulnerability of farming households to shocks.
Benue is widely known as Nigeria’s “Food Basket of the Nation,” a title earned through its long-standing role as one of the country’s leading producers of staples such as yam, cassava, maize, rice and soybeans. The state’s fertile flood plains along the Benue River support millions of smallholder farmers whose harvests feed markets well beyond the region. Agriculture remains the backbone of Benue’s rural economy and a central concern for state policy.
The plan’s emphasis on resilience and peace reflects the challenges that have affected farming communities in parts of the middle belt in recent years, where competition over land and resources has at times disrupted agricultural activity. By linking food security objectives to peace-building, the state government is signalling an intention to treat rural stability as a precondition for sustained production.
Implementation will unfold over a five-year horizon, with the strategy expected to set priorities for crop improvement, extension services, market access and support for communities most exposed to disruption. As Premium Times reported via AllAfrica, the launch marks a formal commitment by the state to align its agricultural ambitions with broader development and security goals, recognising that food security in Benue is closely tied to the welfare of its farming population and the stability of the wider region.
Sources
This report was written from coverage published by the following news organisations. Follow the links for the original reporting.
