Grow with IRETI is a ‘Promoting Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Systems’ program designed to deliver inclusive growth across the agriculture and food sectors, covering crops, livestock, aquaculture, fisheries and forests.
Agriculture, which generates food and income for many people around the world, is dependent on a nexus of global ecosystems (the climate, the oceans and terrestrial ecosystems), which have become increasingly threatened. A major threat is climate change, which impacts the health of the global ecosystems, hinders sustainable agriculture and represents one of the biggest threats to food security in the 21st century. Accompanied by a rising world population which will constitute an increase in food demand and consequently immense pressure on the agriculture sector.
The Grow with IRETI program recognizes that sustainable agriculture integrates environmental health, economic viability, and social equity to ensure long-term productivity of natural resources and improved livelihoods, backed by 5 key principles (as determined by the FAO):
Principle 1: Increase productivity, employment and value addition in food systems
Principle 2: Protect and enhance natural resources
Principle 3: Improve livelihoods and foster inclusive economic growth
Principle 4: Enhance the resilience of people, communities and ecosystems
Principle 5: Adapt governance to new challenges
Grow with IRETI considers that in order to adequately feed the over 350 million people projected to live in Nigeria and the 10 billion in global estimates by 2050, solutions must aim to go beyond producing more with less towards a balanced focus on quality and diversity, linking productivity to sustainability and addressing the needs of people.