Every day in Nigeria, long before food makes it to our kitchens, a silent tragedy unfolds. Tonnes
of perfectly edible food are lost or wasted, deepening the hunger crisis that grips millions of
households across the country. It’s a problem that doesn’t always make the headlines, but its
ripple effects are felt on dinner tables, in market stalls, and in farmers’ pockets.
How Nigeria is Losing Food Before It’s Eaten
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Nigeria loses an estimated 37% of
all food produced annually. This loss doesn’t just happen when consumers toss leftovers—it
begins on the farm and worsens along the supply chain.
For many Nigerian farmers, particularly smallholders, the journey from harvest to market is
fraught with challenges. Poor rural roads delay the transport of fresh produce, causing
perishable items like tomatoes, peppers, and leafy vegetables to rot before they even arrive at
the market. A tomato farmer in Kano may lose up to half of his harvest on the way to Lagos
simply because the produce sits in the back of a hot truck for too long.
Storage is another major hurdle. Without access to proper storage facilities, especially cold
rooms, farmers are forced to sell their produce immediately at low prices or risk complete loss.
Grains, tubers, fruits, and dairy products are often damaged by pests, humidity, or heat. A 2023
report by the Global FoodBanking Network revealed that post-harvest losses in Nigeria account
for billions of naira in wasted food each year.
It’s not just a farmer’s problem—it directly impacts consumers. As food waste at the supply
stage rises, food scarcity increases, and prices spike. This was evident in the recent surge in
pepper prices, where shortages caused by spoilage, transportation issues, and seasonality
pushed the price of a bag from ₦50,000–₦70,000 to well over ₦200,000 in some markets.
The Human Cost of Food Waste
While some families spend more to put pepper in their soup, others can’t afford to buy it at all. In
a country where the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reports that over 100 million Nigerians
live in multidimensional poverty, food waste becomes more than just an economic concern—it
becomes a moral issue.
When edible food is wasted, and yet so many people go to bed hungry, it reveals the deep
cracks in Nigeria’s food distribution system.
Innovations and Local Solutions: Fighting Back Against Waste
Despite the scale of the problem, Nigerians are not sitting idle. Across the country, farmers,
entrepreneurs, and innovators are developing grassroots solutions to save more food.
In some farming communities, producers now collaborate with NGOs to introduce solar-powered
cold storage units, which keep perishable goods fresh even in areas without stable electricity. In
other cases, food that would have been discarded is processed into longer-lasting products like
dried tomatoes, pepper powder, or cassava flour.
But one of the most significant innovations is the emergence of food banks. Organizations like
Lagos Food Bank Initiative are leading the way, rescuing unsold but perfectly edible food from
markets and food businesses, then redistributing it to vulnerable communities. These food
recovery efforts are helping bridge the gap between surplus and scarcity, ensuring that fewer
bags of food end up in the trash while people go hungry.
Some food banks now work directly with farmers and wholesalers, picking up unsold produce
quickly to prevent spoilage. It’s a simple but powerful solution that has saved hundreds of
tonnes of food from waste while feeding thousands.
Agri-tech platforms are also stepping in to tackle supply chain delays. By connecting farmers
directly to buyers through mobile apps, they help reduce the number of middlemen and the time
it takes for produce to reach consumers.
Building a Smarter Food System
Reducing food waste in Nigeria isn’t just about saving individual bags of pepper or baskets of
tomatoes—it’s about transforming the entire food system. It’s about better infrastructure, smarter
storage, improved logistics, and a national mindset that sees food as too precious to waste.
The government has a key role to play in upgrading rural roads, investing in storage facilities,
and supporting policies that encourage food recovery and redistribution. Public education is also
essential. Many traders, consumers, and even farmers still lack awareness about food-saving
practices.
If Nigeria can tackle this issue head-on, the benefits will be far-reaching: more affordable food,
less environmental strain, better livelihoods for farmers, and most importantly, fewer hungry
families.
Final Word
In a nation that already produces enough food to feed its people, food waste remains an
avoidable tragedy. Solving it requires a collective effort—one that brings farmers, businesses,
policymakers, and everyday Nigerians to the table.
Saving food means saving lives.
