Benue State, long called the Food Basket of the Nation, has launched a five-year plan that treats food and peace as inseparable, acknowledging that no amount of farming policy works while farmers are being driven off their land. The plan was unveiled under the Enhancing Food Security and Peacebuilding in Nigeria through Strategic Planning Project and brought together government officials, farmers, academics and traditional rulers, according to allAfrica.
Food and Conflict, Together
The framing is deliberate. Officials noted that insecurity, displacement, land-use conflict, climate pressures and collapsing infrastructure have converged to weaken agricultural stability and rural livelihoods, leaving a state historically central to Nigeria's food economy at a crossroads, according to Punch. The state's challenge, the same report noted, extends beyond agricultural underperformance to structural weaknesses at the intersection of food systems and conflict. Recurring attacks on farmers by armed groups have displaced communities and disrupted planting and harvest cycles across the state.
A Five-Year Roadmap
The strategy sets out a phased path with built-in accountability. Its objectives include stabilising the production environment, clarifying land governance, rebuilding rural economies and strengthening logistics and market systems, according to Tori. The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Benjamin Ashaver, urged ministries, departments and agencies to take ownership of the plan and called on local government councils, traditional institutions and farming communities to embed it locally, according to allAfrica. The plan carries a mid-term review scheduled for 2028 and an end-term evaluation in 2031, and Ashaver reaffirmed Governor Hyacinth Alia's commitment to full implementation, the same report noted, crediting a policy team from a supply chain research hub with shaping the document.
Why Benue Matters Nationally
Benue's fortunes ripple far beyond its borders. With fertile land, abundant water and a large farming population, the state has historically anchored Nigeria's supply of yams, grains and other staples, which is why disruptions there feed into national availability and price, according to Punch. The pressure is already visible in the data, with the National Bureau of Statistics recording some of the country's highest food inflation in states including Benue, according to Sahara Reporters.
Whether a plan can hold where security has failed will be measured in harvests and prices, not press statements. FoodPrices Nigeria tracks verified retail prices across Lagos markets, where the output of supply states like Benue ultimately show