This Food System Vision set forth by FoodNerve is a radical but feasible shift from life today in Southwest Nigeria.
Spanning six states, the population of Southwest Nigeria is equally split between rural dwellers and urbanites. Diet is currently heavily reliant on plant sources and fishing. Extremely poor rural residents eat rats and mice as animal protein, making the population vulnerable to rodent-borne diseases. Farmers are ill-equipped to predict demand, leading to 75% of harvests wasted, while many communities face extreme poverty and food insecurity.
Present-day farmers are growing old, without a new generation to assume their roles. The younger generations are generally uninterested in becoming farmers, seeing the job as less than lucrative and archaic, given there is no systematic integration of advanced technology in agriculture.
To move forward to a brighter future, farmers must be trained in new techniques; awareness must be built around nutrition; new dietary standards must be created; the community must be engaged; and strategic private sector and government partnerships must be built.
In their Vision, FoodNerve showcases how by the year 2050:
- Biotech farming, artificial intelligence, and other advanced technologies have closed the gap between poverty and opportunity.
- Every single community in Southwest Nigeria, both urban and rural, has the ability to feed itself; farmers embrace practices that restore the land instead of depleting it; no community member goes hungry and no child suffers from malnutrition; and vacant land has become available for urban farming.
- An open data platform powers digital supply chains. Cryptocurrency, provided by the government and allotted only for food purchases, allows residents to gain access to consistent sources of nutrition, solving the problem of capital flight and promoting financial accountability.
- Food waste has been eliminated; dry, nutrient-deficient soil has been replenished; healthy food is now affordable; and smallholder farmers are now prosperous professionals.
The transformation of the food system positively impacts the entire region, including millions of Southwest Nigerian families who are now fed more nutritiously and sustainably. Food production contributes to poverty reduction, and environmental considerations are at the forefront of all initiatives.
This Vision shows how the use of advanced technologies and the implementation of new policies can revolutionize a food system and revitalize a culture – providing health, prosperity, pride, and a thriving life for all.
FoodNerve is Darkpore Media Africa’s project focused on transforming Sub-Saharan Africa into a network of self-sufficient communities that elevate and celebrate the trade of traditional farming while also providing sustainable, accessible nourishment to all citizens.
Click here to explore the full Vision for Southwest Nigeria in the year 2050.
By 2050, we believe there will be large shifts to protective foods. People will engage in indoor farming, and everyone will rely on renewable energy. There will be a rise of AI technology to help farmers and chefs with production, and there will be access to different kinds of fruits everywhere so that people have easy access to micronutrients.