Nigeria

This study interrogates the state of social-ecological landscapes (SEL) in West Africa, focusing on two case studies: the Mankran SEL in Ghana (case study 1) and the Doma–Rutu SEL in Nigeria (case study 2). Using a mix of methods, the assessment was framed by the Drivers Pressure State Impact Response (DPSIR) model tailored for SEL evaluation (DPSIR-SEL). In the Mankran landscape, land use patterns shifted significantly from 2008 to 2018, with cash crop cultivation peaking at 30% in 2015 before declining to 14.5% by 2018. Water quality assessments in the Mankran micro-watershed indicated that several parameters, including Total Suspended Solids (TSS) at 914.41 1974 mg/L, lead at 18.73 17.26 g/L, and arsenic at 53.41 86.66 g/L, exceeded World Health Organization (WHO) standards, raising concerns about potential contamination. In contrast, the Doma–Rutu landscape in Nigeria experienced land use and land cover (LULC) changes from 2000 to 2022, characterized by the expansion of residential and agricultural areas alongside modifications to natural water bodies and vegetation. Water quality issues have emerged, with elevated levels of electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, and salinity. Furthermore, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) revealed persistent herder-farmer conflicts in Nigeria, which have historically constrained crop production due to various environmental and social factors. The intertwined challenges faced by both the Mankran and Doma–Rutu landscapes underscore the urgent need for sustainable and inclusive resource management, adaptive land-use strategies, and proactive measures to safeguard water quality.

The Sustainable Development Goals are interconnected and cut across Food, Land and Water (FLW) systems. But the formulation and implementation of national policy objectives to attain the SDGs may be fragmented and uncoordinated. The CGIAR Initiative on National Policies and Strategies (NPS), aims to contribute to agri-foods system transformation, by identifying ways of building stronger FLW policies with greater coherence and investment capacity, to support Nigeria in addressing current crises and future development needs. This flagship report focuses on (in)coherence in policies related to FLW systems in Nigeria, through the lens of Policies and Institutions Landscape Analysis Framework. To achieve policy coherence for sustainable development, the report highlights the need for: 1. strengthening staff and institutional capacities for FLW contextual and policy analysis to effectively identify, anticipate and respond to crisis. 2. developing systemic polycentric decision-making and governance, involving multi-stakeholders at the Federal, State and Local levels. 3. providing sustainable funding for the effective implementation of policy objectives, projects and programmes in the relevant FLW-related sectors 4. maintaining continuity of the implementation of ongoing transformative FLW policy objectives and programmes when an incumbent government comes into power. 5. promoting evidence-based (real time and high-quality data) policy formulation, monitoring, evaluation, and learning.

Nigeria faces a plethora of challenges ranging from malnutrition and food insecurity, violent land tenurial conflicts and water insecurity in a changing climate. This situation threatens economic growth and development, particularly, the achievement of key targets of the Sustainable Development Goals related to SDG 1 (eliminate all forms of poverty), SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 6 (Clean water and sanitation), SDG 13 (climate action), SDG 14 (Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development) and 15 (life on land). Another pertinent challenge impeding the achievement of the goals is the lack of synergies and inadequate coordination between and within policies and development programming. The CGIAR Initiative on National Policies and Strategies (NPS), aims to contribute to agri-foods system transformation, by identifying ways of building stronger food, land and water policies with greater coherence and investment capacity, to support Nigeria in addressing current crises and future development needs. This guidance brief is based on insights from a study on the policy (in)coherence in food, land and water systems in Nigeria. Using the CGIAR NPS, Policies and Institutions Landscape Framework, four policies: the National Water Resources Policy 2016; Agriculture Promotion Policy 2016; The National Policy on Food Safety and its Implementation Strategy (2014) and the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2016-2020, were analysed. The study indicates that most of the FLW policies significantly complement one another (horizontal coherence), by promoting food sufficiency and improved livelihoods for especially rural dwellers. However, the National Water Resources Policy 2016, Agriculture Promotion Policy (2016) and the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2016-2020) have contradicting objectives. There is seemingly harmonious coordination (vertical coherence) of the formulated policies across different tiers of government in the country, but not evident through the implementation of the policies, due to less coordination and accountability. All the four selected policies analyzed in the study were found to be financially incoherent. The average annual national financial commitment fails to meet up with the annual investment requirements of the FLW systems, leading to policy ineffectiveness in addressing critical socio-economic and agri-food challenges. The Initiative can support policy makers in addressing the incoherences and positively transform FLW systems by co-creating and facilitating policy frameworks and pathways.

Many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have made youth inclusion a top priority in their development agendas. This is aimed at overcoming social, technical, and institutional obstacles and providing fair and significant opportunities for the growth of young people. Inclusive agricultural value chain development (VCD) is being used to address youth unemployment in the region. The Nigerian government and its partners have invested in aquaculture VCD to create employment opportunities for young men and women, but the participation rate is low, at around 2%. Further, research and practices focusing on rural youth inclusion in VCD is scant, with biases towards urban youth inclusion. This study explored youth engagement in the aquaculture value chain and how the chain features and context shape inclusive mechanisms/patterns of youth inclusion in VCD processes. We used the integrated livelihood asset framework, access approach, and VCD approaches to present an analysis of conditions influencing the inclusion of young men and women in the aquaculture VCD in Nigeria. Accordingly, two youth inclusion strategies were identified: investment and risk management strategies. Young men and women from better-off households adopt investment strategy and dominate the production function. They use their resources, social networks and support from youth-focused aquaculture projects to invest in production functions. Those adopting a risk management strategy dominate the processing, distribution, and marketing functions. They dominantly use social networks, support from aquaculture projects, and Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) to mitigate risks. The high demand for fresh and processed fish, supportive policies, and youth-centered aquaculture projects encourages the engagement of young men and women to adopt either of the strategies. However, they face challenges such as high-cost and low-quality inputs, lack of tailored services, inadequate infrastructure, and sociocultural norms. This study contributes to youth inclusion literature, provides a comprehensive theoretical lens for understanding youth inclusion in VCD, and offers insights into the specific case of young men and women’s engagement in the aquaculture sector in Nigeria.