ProVeg International recently opened an office in Nigeria with the intention of replacing consumption of animal by products by 50 percent with alternative proteins by 2040. Although many Nigerians already adopted a diet rich in plant and the country itself has low greenhouse gas emissions when compared to first world countries, questions have been raised regarding ProVeg’s move. The company is focused on improving health and tasty products that are climate and animal-friendly, across Nigeria. The Nigerian office is led by the Country Director Hakeem Jimo, co-founder of VeggieVictory, the first plant-based food tech company in Nigeria.
In Nigeria and West Africa there are various challenges linked with the food systems. They include malnutrition, water scarcity, food security, and the need to boost crops’ resilience. Therefore, ProVeg focuses on creating awareness on the significance of balanced, sustainable and healthy diets and reasons to avoid consumption of unhealthy Western diets that are filled with unsaturated fats, salt and sugar. Jimo stated that Nigeria is projected to be the third most populous country globally by 2050 after India and China. Consequently, consumption of meat in the country is likely to grow by over 300 percent within the same period.
Africa is mostly affected by climate change despite low emissions.
Globally, Africa holds the record of the continent with the highest protein deficiency with an increasing rate of child malnutrition. It was therefore asked whether a transition to plant-based diets would address these challenges. However, the United Nations (UN) recently cautioned that plant-based diets might be unable to aid in the provision of sufficient nutrition for achievement of public health targets at a global level. A properly balanced and varied plant-based diet is capable of providing all the nutrients people require wherever they are. Also, local availability and combinations of fruit, whole grains, pulses, vegetables, legumes and protein-rich products are essential in all countries.
The goal of ProVeg Africa is to strengthen the connection between agriculture, the environment and food security. Regardless of the low emissions in Africa, the continent remains the most affected by climate change. Jimo added that Africans tend to focus on the wrong cause of these problems. Food security, for instance, should not be an issue if managed appropriately. Also, the land is useful as the land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops. Nigeria has lots of infrastructural problems. Farmers find it difficult to transport their produce to consumers in cities. This results to high quantities of waste and in some cases approximately 50 percent of some crops.
Poor infrastructure affects food security and production.
Furthermore, despite the increasing consumption of meat, Nigerians still practice crude livestock methods, known as open grazing. Northern herdsmen are unable to find adequate grass for their cattle due to desert advancement. Their diversion to the south causes regular clashes with farmers, causing more insecurity. Consequently, farmers quit farming, thereby attracting more food security challenges. Cattle ranching has been suggested so as to stop the clashes but it would drastically skyrocket the costs of livestock for consumers.
Manufacturing industries in Nigeria face the challenge of poor infrastructure, particularly erratic power supply. Demand for affordable food is not decreasing but manufacturers are stuck with high infrastructure costs like provision of electricity with their generators which attracts a much higher cost. Western industrial farming then come into the country with the argument it satisfies the best interest of consumers. However, they promote dependence importation of animal feed which decreases the security and increases the volatility of the food system.
Through plant-based diets, ProVeg will promote food security.
Additionally, ProVeg Nigeria is designed to ensure promotion of many opportunities for food security with crop farming, especially with crop types that are resilient. It will also promote the use of precision farming techniques through minimization of water use by application of irrigation in a targeted way. This will drastically reduce land and water use, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste. The Nigerian head argued that plant-based agriculture is done on less land and with less energy, while plant-based foods emit only 50 percent the amount of greenhouse gas emissions than animal-based foods.
Related Link
Proveg: Website
Meat consumption to grow by 300% by 2050. – Nigeria and Africa have various food systems-related challenges. – Express your point of view.
When it comes to meat consumption, Africa actually plays a major role in that. We should also use the opportunity to export meat all over the world. We rare cows and graze them enough in Africa, so I believe the data given in the headline.
Meat consumption to grow by 300% by 2050 ,people are consuming meat a lot ProVeg want to replace part of the consumption of meat the company want to improve health and help in the challenges of food system
Priority should be given to raising public understanding of the value of diets that are both environmentally and socially sustainable, and of the dangers of the high-sodium, high-fat Western diet.
Proveg want to replace consumption of meat with the mission to raise public knowledge of the value of a balanced, sustainable diet that is low in unsaturated fats, salt, and sugar, as well as the reasons to refrain from consuming such a diet.
The goal of ProVeg Nigeria is to promote various opportunities for crop cultivation, particularly with resilient crop kinds, to provide food security. Additionally, it will encourage the employment of precision agricultural methods by minimizing water consumption through the application of irrigation in a targeted manner.
The expected 300% growth in meat consumption by 2050 is a worrying trend that needs to be addressed. The negative environmental, social, and health impacts associated with meat production and consumption call for a shift towards more sustainable and healthy food systems. This may include reducing meat consumption, promoting plant-based diets, and investing in research and development of alternative protein sources.
Meat consumption to grow by 300% by 2050. That is much, we need to balance our diet is very important. In order to avoid some sickness that can affect our health in future
It is very obvious that meat consumption will continue to skyrocket in Nigeria but with new innovation given by ProVeg International on consuming products that are plant-based, it will being it to control. With this innovation, greenhouse effect will be reduced while deriving enough protien and other nutrient from the plant based product.
ProVeg International has brought up a good idea that can solve the high consumption of meat in the country and give room for more plant based food that are eco friendly and nutritious.