The conversation on food security in Nigeria often revolves around fertiliser, tractors, and irrigation, but a crucial element is frequently overlooked: seeds and plant genetic resources. The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, also known as the Plant Treaty, is vital for Nigeria's food system. Its Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-Sharing offers an opportunity for Nigeria to strengthen agricultural research, develop better crop varieties, and build a resilient food system.
Nigeria signed the Plant Treaty on June 10, 2002, and ratified it on September 6, 2022, becoming a Contracting Party on December 5, 2022. The Multilateral System provides a transparent framework for accessing a shared pool of plant genetic resources for conservation, research, breeding, and training. A Standard Material Transfer Agreement facilitates access, reducing administrative barriers and transaction costs while ensuring fair benefit-sharing.
The Multilateral System gives Nigerian researchers and breeders access to genetic resources that can help develop crops suited to the country's diverse agroecology. These materials are the building blocks for varieties that can produce higher yields, early maturity, withstand drought and flooding, resist pests and diseases, and provide better nutritional value. This is urgent, as Nigerian farmers face increasingly difficult conditions due to climate change, erratic rainfall, drought, flooding, and pests.
Wider access to plant genetic resources could accelerate the development of improved varieties for crops like maize, rice, wheat, sorghum, millet, cowpea, and cassava. This could lead to more reliable harvests, lower production losses, reduced food prices, and better incomes for farmers. In the long term, stronger domestic production could reduce Nigeria's dependence on food imports and provide more nutritious and diverse food.
The benefits of the Plant Treaty extend beyond food production, as it can improve diets, promote local food cultures, and contribute to the fight against malnutrition. Crop diversity is also a form of insurance, as it spreads risk and makes households, communities, and the national food system more resilient. Farmers and local communities have selected, conserved, and adapted seeds for generations, preserving genetic diversity that researchers need to develop future crops.
A national policy has been developed to guide the implementation of the Plant Treaty’s Multilateral System and ensure fair benefit-sharing. The policy was validated by national and international stakeholders on August 21, 2024, and involved broad participation from public institutions, research organisations, universities, farmers, seed companies, and civil society. Implementation requires sustained cooperation among these stakeholders to create economic opportunities and stimulate new value chains.
If properly implemented, the Multilateral System could create economic opportunities, increase farm productivity, support agro-processing, and raise rural incomes. Nigeria can also benefit from the exchange of plant genetic resource-related information in the Global Information System, technology transfer, and training. Improved varieties can stimulate new value chains based on indigenous and underutilised crops, creating jobs and strengthening local economies.
Key points
- Nigeria ratifies Plant Treaty to access genetic resources for food security
- Multilateral System provides framework for accessing plant genetic resources
- Implementation requires cooperation among public institutions, research organisations, and stakeholders
