NIGERIA: A CGIAR COVID-19 HUB FOCUS COUNTRY

In Nigeria, the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant effects on the economy and poverty levels, with a devastating impact on health. The pandemic and associated policy responses to restraining its spread have had significant negative effects on agricultural activities and household food security in Nigeria[1]. Significant disruptions occurred in the agricultural inputs supply chain, despite exclusion from restrictions during lockdown, resulting in a slowdown in food marketing, reductions in cropping area cultivated, and delays in planting times[2].

Leveraging the significant resources CGIAR has within target countries, researchers working through the CGIAR COVID-19 Hub are engaging with governments and other national partners in Nigeria and elsewhere to respond to country demands for innovative and evidence-based solutions for emergency response and recovery.

CGIAR COVID-19 Hub research priorities:

• Strengthen women and children's capacity: Why are youth trained in agribusiness for various commodity value chains not setting up their agri-businesses? Why do beneficiaries not end up being successful agribusiness owners? Why are the agricultural research project outputs not sustainable? Have there been significant disruptions in other sectors, such as education, that may have increased (or not) youth engagement in agriculture? Have there been any shifts between formal and informal sector employment or urban-to-rural migration that may have provided opportunities or additional constraints?
• Generate and provide policy evidence I: (a) To what extent are producers' income and food security affected by the pandemic, and which types of producers were able to weather the storm? (b) How have these impacts changed over time (i.e., the dynamics of the impacts over time, whether they are easing off or getting worse)? (c) Do these impacts differ for women and youth? (d) How has the pandemic affected agricultural input supply chains (particularly seed supply chains)? (e) What set of interventions or policy measures (social safety nets) are needed to mitigate the impacts to support resilience?
• Generate and provide policy evidence II: (a) To what extent are smallholder farm businesses (including hatcheries, feed suppliers, and processing entities) affected by the pandemic? (b) What coping strategies have been adopted by farms (including hatcheries and processing entities) and what is working/worked well and what is/has not? (c) What technical support is needed to manage production and post-harvest activities in a COVID-19-safe manner and how can digital channels be used to access markets and deliver fish and fish products? (e) Drawing on the results of the survey, what are the short- to medium-term supply- and demand-side interventions and policy recommendations that mitigate and support recovery from the shock of COVID-19, and prepare the sector to withstand any future shocks?

Expected research outputs:

• Inception and dissemination workshops;
• Policy briefs on (i) Seed systems, (ii) Women and youth, and (iii) Aquaculture value chains;
• Panel data set; and
• Discussion paper.

Learn more about CGIAR COVID-19 Hub work in Nigeria.

Learn more about CGIAR COVID-19 Hub work in other focus countries:

• Bangladesh
• Ethiopia
• Malawi
• Myanmar

[1] Balana et al. (2020). The Effects of COVID-19 Policies on Livelihoods and Food Security of Smallholder Farm Households in Nigeria: Descriptive Results from a Phone Survey. IFPRI Discussion paper No. 01979 https://www.ifpri.org/publication/effects-covid-19-policies-livelihoods-and-food-security-smallholder-farm-households; and

Amare, M., Abay, K. A., Tiberti, L., and Chamberlin, J. 2020. Impacts of COVID-19 on Food Security: Panel Data Evidence from Nigeria. IFPRI Discussion Paper. No. 01956. Washington, DC: IFPRI.

[2] World Bank and Nigeria, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). 2020a. 2020b. 2020c.: COVID-19 Impact Monitoring, Nigeria. Synthesis Report (April/May—Survey Rounds 1; 2, & 3). Abuja, Nigeria.