Flooding and Food Security in Anambra State, Nigeria: A Study of the Anambra West Local Government Area

Perturbed by the economic challenges bedeviling the country in general and Anambra State in particular, especially as regards the agricultural sector, this paper interrogated the concept of flooding, its causes and specifically the effect it has on food security in Anambra State using Anambra West Local Government Area as a case in point. The study was guided by three specific objectives, thus to; examine how flooding has affected food security in Anambra State; determine the impact of flooding on environmental management of Anambra State and; ascertain the level to which the government has responded to the incidence of flooding in Anambra State. Adopting Structural-Functional Theory as its theoretical framework, the study employed thematic analysis in analyzing data sourced from the secondary sources of data generation. The findings of the study showed that flooding has adversely affected food security in Anambra State. Furthermore, the study reveals that flooding has impacted negatively on the environmental management of Anambra State. Finally, the study indicates that the state government has responded positively to the incidences of flooding in the state. It is against this backdrop that the study recommends inter-alia that there is urgent need for all actors and stakeholders to take steps to reduce to the barest minimum the adverse effects of flooding. Some of these steps include irrigation farming which encourages all-year-round and off-season planting; provision of necessary amenities to avail farmers the opportunities to store well their agricultural products as well as adequate means for supply. Furthermore, it is paramount for the local government and state government, in partnership with the federal government to initiate far reaching policy measures to minimize the effects flooding has on the environment.