Divine-Love Akam

Economist and Agriprenuer ~ I have a dream that one day Africa will be Food Secure!
I believe in AFRICA!
If you meet me, you won't regret it😊

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

#AGRF2017
Agriculture rules! An investment in agriculture is an investment in people&we need people to turn the economy around.
@efarms01

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

Farmers do not lack the #business judgment to know when to sell; rather, they grapple with limited access to finance, inadequate storage, limited bargaining power, and #policy uncertainty.

They deserve both better #prices and the financial #freedom to decide when to sell.

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

#Food prices rise, yet many #farmers still sell at a loss.

The timing of sales determines profits. The harvest period is when supply is highest and prices are lowest.

Read Why Do Farmers Sell at a Loss? https://t.co/ptwOPbcBFx

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

Farmers sell because of #financial obligations, including loans, labor & transport costs, & household needs that must be met.

Later, when food stocks are depleted & prices are higher, they return to the market as buyers.

They 'sell low' in harvest and 'buy high' in lean periods

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

@WorldBankGroup @FAO @WFP Emergency imports may close an immediate shortage.

But lasting resilience also requires household purchasing power, affordable #farm finance and inputs, storage, functioning markets, and climate-risk protection.

Food policy must protect both those who eat and those who produce.

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

The @WorldBankGroup estimates that 52.8 million people may face acute food insecurity in West & Central Africa between June and August 2026.

Food crises are not only about how much food is available. They are also about whether households can afford it.

https://t.co/6aUcLyTav3

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

@WorldBankGroup @FAO and @WFP are also seeking early action to protect 8.8 million people across 22 high-risk countries as El Niño increases the likelihood of extreme droughts and floods

These warnings show why emergency food supplies alone are insufficient during crises
https://t.co/2CVpY936vI

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

A sound food policy should ask:

• Is nutritious food available?
• Can households afford and access it?
• Can farmers continue producing it?

A #foodsystem is considered secure only when all three answers are yes.

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

Food can be available in a country and still remain inaccessible to millions.

This is why increasing food supply is not automatically the same as improving #foodsecurity.

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

For instance, imports may increase market supply, but do they solve low household incomes, high transport costs, conflict, weak market access, or declining domestic production?

#Food availability is only one part of food security.

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

Nigeria’s food inflation reached 40.87% in June 2024, prompting temporary duty-free food imports. But can imports really ease a food-price crisis without weakening the domestic food supply?

Read my latest article here:
https://t.co/Tpr7NiEr9v

#FoodSecurity #FoodPolicy #Nigeria

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

#Agricultural #finance should not stop at planting. Farmers also need liquidity after harvest.
Without storage and short-term harvest financing, many must sell at low prices simply to repay debt and meet household needs. Both the design and timing of #credit models are important.

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

Lower food prices do not always mean a healthier food system. We should ask:
• Did farm-gate prices fall?
• Did input costs decline?
• Did local production rise?
• Did imports increase?
• Can farmers plant next season?
Consumer affordability should support producer viability

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

The Nigerian government's duty-free import waiver was designed to bring food prices down for consumers. But food prices fell because production incentives were destroyed and not that the food system became efficient.

#FoodSovereignty #agriculture #farmers

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

“The #government does not check its #policies. If this government has the capacity to import a finished #rice product at a subsidized price, why can’t they instead #import and subsidize #inputs to the barest minimum...?"- Farmer Bina

Read the conversation
https://t.co/GCGmb7ZtWz

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

@honorableEAZY @NOA_Nigeria @FMINONigeria @LanreIssaOnilu @Naija_farmers @NTANewsNow @tvcnewsng @channelstv Nice one...please let me know when they implement this suggestion though...lol

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

@heirmexxy True...and that's majorly what they can control. Farmers' hope drives them to continue farming each season, hoping that the next season will be much better than the last... but alas! The challenge is whether hope can be effectively transferred to their children.

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

"If hope was a currency, all rural smallholder #Farmers will be rich."

#FoodSecurity #agriculture #sdg

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

@MuhammadAli This is so deep!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with few words of wisdom!

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

But no, unless we create a system that flood-proofs our farmers and the food they produce for our consumption, we might be forced to swim in the floods or dance in the rain, whichever one is preferable.
…and both options require a skill!

[Divine-Love Akam @ifydivinelove]

The life of the typical Nigerian #farmers is not challenge-free. It is as though they have become accustomed to challenges, shrugging it off as ‘normal’ life, due to the existing poor #Food system.