As world leaders gather today for the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye, Nigeria must ask an urgent question: what will this conference do to help feed our people, protect our farmers and pastoralists, and secure our agricultural future?
For years, climate conferences have produced promises and declarations. Yet Nigerian farmers continue to lose crops to drought and floods, pastoralists struggle to find water and pasture, and families battle rising food prices. The gap between international promises and the realities of ordinary people remains too wide.
COP31 must help close that gap. Its success should be measured not by speeches or agreements, but by practical improvements in the lives of people whose livelihoods depend on the land.
One important development is the proposed Turquoise Nexus Initiative (TNI), being developed by Türkiye's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), under the Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST) Partnership. Its proposed launch at COP31 reflects a vital principle: food production, water security and climate change are interconnected. Food security is impossible without protecting the land and water that sustain agriculture.
For Nigeria, this connection is impossible to ignore. Across the North, desertification, land degradation and irregular rainfall threaten agricultural production. Elsewhere, floods destroy crops, wash away farmland and damage infrastructure. Farmers who depend on rainfall face growing uncertainty.
Pastoralists face similar challenges. As water sources dry up and grazing lands deteriorate, livestock production becomes more difficult. Competition over scarce resources has intensified tensions between farming and pastoral communities. Climate change does not cause every conflict, but it can worsen existing pressures.
The consequences reach every household. Failed harvests reduce food supplies and push up prices, while declining livestock production affects the availability of meat, milk and other animal products. Household incomes, nutrition and national stability all suffer.
Nigeria cannot solve its food crisis without confronting the climate crisis.
The proposed COP31 side event scheduled for November 11, titled "Agri-food Systems under Climate Change: Incentives for Affordable, Healthy, Sustainable Food", offers an opportunity for Nigeria to press for practical support for climate-resilient agriculture. Our delegation must have clear demands covering both crop and livestock production.
Nigeria should demand accessible climate finance for agriculture. Developed countries and international climate-finance institutions should make more adaptation funding available to vulnerable farming and pastoral communities. Priorities include irrigation, drought-resistant seeds, flood protection, soil restoration, livestock health and pasture improvement. Funding procedures must be simpler, with affordable financing for smallholder producers.
Nigeria should seek major investment in water security. International partnerships should support small-scale irrigation, solar-powered water pumps, rainwater harvesting, community water storage, flood forecasting and drainage improvements. Farmers must be able to produce food more reliably instead of depending entirely on the rainy season.
Livestock production must receive equal attention. Nigeria should pursue funding to rehabilitate grazing reserves, improve pasture, develop livestock water points, strengthen veterinary services and promote climate-resilient livestock management. These investments would protect pastoral livelihoods, improve productivity and reduce pressure on scarce resources. Farming and pastoral communities should participate in planning to encourage cooperation and peaceful resource management.
Nigeria should demand affordable technology and stronger agricultural research. Farmers need locally adapted seeds, reliable climate information, efficient irrigation equipment, soil testing and practical extension services. Partnerships should strengthen Nigerian research institutions and universities. Technology transfer must include training, maintenance and sustained technical support, not simply the supply of equipment.
Nigery should seek investment in food storage, processing and distribution. Poor storage, inadequate transport and limited processing facilities cause food losses before produce reaches consumers. Development finance and private investment should support modern warehouses, solar-powered cold rooms, rural processing centres and better transport links. Agricultural waste should also be converted, where practical, into animal feed, compost and energy.
Nigeria must insist on transparency and measurable results. The country should advocate clear arrangements for tracking climate-finance commitments and their delivery. At home, the federal government should identify priority projects, publish information on funds received and spent, and report on beneficiaries. Every project should have clear targets, realistic timelines and maintenance plans.
These demands should be linked to the proposed Turquoise Nexus Initiative and the FAST Partnership. Nigeria should arrive in Antalya with priority projects, estimated costs, intended beneficiaries and practical implementation plans. Our objective must be to turn international cooperation into visible improvements in agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods.
However, negotiations alone will not solve our problems. Federal and state governments must coordinate climate and agricultural policies, involve farmers and pastoralists in decision-making, and ensure that public resources produce results. Crop farming and livestock production must not be treated as competing interests. Both are essential to food security, employment and rural development.
Nigeria must also invest in prevention rather than wait for disasters. Irrigation should be developed before drought destroys harvests; flood management should be strengthened before farmland is submerged; and degraded land should be restored before it becomes unproductive. Preventing losses is often less costly than rebuilding livelihoods afterwards.
Ultimately, COP31 must be judged by practical outcomes. Do farmers have better access to water? Are pastoralists benefiting from improved grazing and veterinary services? Are food losses declining? Are communities better prepared for floods and droughts? These are the results Nigerians should expect.
From Antalya to Abuja, the message must be clear: food security cannot be separated from climate security. Nigeria cannot build a prosperous economy while its agricultural foundations weaken, nor protect national stability without safeguarding the livelihoods of millions who depend on farming and livestock production.
If COP31 delivers meaningful commitments backed by finance, appropriate technology and accountability, it can help Nigeria build a more resilient agricultural sector. If it produces only more promises, vulnerable communities will continue to bear the cost.
Food security is national security. Protecting the land, water, farmers and pastoralists that sustain our food supply is not merely an environmental responsibility. It is a matter of national survival.