Bill Gates, the Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has said that Nigeria has the second highest rate of food insecurity in the world.

He added that arable lands have disappeared due to climate change. As a result, prices of food have skyrocketed.

Speaking in an interview with Lara Adejoro, Gates said: “Nigeria today has the second highest rate of food insecurity on earth, and climate change is only accelerating the problem.

“Arable land has disappeared. Pests have wiped out harvests. And prices for staple foods have soared.

“Climate-related losses on many African farms are more than double those seen globally. The poorest farmers are the ones hit hardest, having to cope with more droughts, pests, and diseases, which in turn exacerbate food shortages, and push up food prices.”

He added: “By 2050, climate change will condemn nearly 40 million more children to stunting—in addition to the 400 million children who already aren’t getting enough nutrients.”

He said his foundation has been working with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation to better understand the climate-induced hunger crisis.

“The good news is that the pace of innovation is accelerating just as quickly as climate change,” he said. “Our vision is an agricultural transformation led smallholder farmers, who have the knowledge, tools, and technologies to improve their livelihoods.”