FOOD INSECURITY IN NIGERIA: AN ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND CONFLICT ON FOOD SECURITY

Food insecurity is a major problem in Nigeria. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)estimates that Nigeria’s food security has worsened in the past 15 years. This paper examinesthe impacts of different factors that jeopardize the Nigerian food security situation. Accordingto previous literature, there are mostly three factors that affect food security; climate change,economic development and violent conflict. Nigeria is the chosen case study because all theabove mentioned factors play a key role in the country; it is affected by climate change, theeconomy is fluctuating and there has been the Boko Haram insurgency going on since 2009.This paper aims, with the help of the concept of food security, to analyze these factors to seewhether and to what extent they influence food insecurity in Nigeria. This paper uses a mixedmethods approach. Quantitative data are retrieved from several data-bases that givemeasurements on food security, climate change, economy, and conflict. Qualitative data arereports and interviews that were conducted with Nigerian NGOs. Cautious findings show thatall three factors can lead to food insecurity and, therefore, can explain why there is foodinsecurity in Nigeria. Finally, this paper concludes and confirms the results of existing researchin the case of Nigeria.