Plateau State unveils a Strategic Food Security Plan and Early Warning framework developed under the SPRING Programme, with training extended to the state's Operation Rainbow security outfit.
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Jos — August 5, 2026
The Plateau State Government has formally endorsed and launched a Strategic Food Security Plan aimed at strengthening the state's agricultural sector, improving rural livelihoods, and enhancing food security across communities. The initiative was developed under the SPRING Programme, in partnership with the Supply Chain Research and Innovation Hub (SCRIH).
The plan was shaped through contributions from the state Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, agricultural officials from Mangu, Pankshin, and Shendam local government areas, alongside community leaders, researchers, and other stakeholders who took part in its development.
Speaking at the launch, the Regional Programme Manager of SPRING, Mujidang Sitang represented by Regional Grant Officer Tony Mark Yusuf said the project produced two key deliverables: the Strategic Food Security Plan itself, and an accompanying Early Warning and Early Response Framework designed to help the state anticipate and respond to emerging food security threats before they escalate into crises.
Notably, the programme also extended training to security personnel, including operatives of Operation Rainbow, Plateau's state-backed security outfit, to strengthen their capacity to support food security and community safety efforts on the ground, reflecting the close links between insecurity, displacement, and agricultural disruption in the state.
The Executive Director of SCRIH, Adebayo Adeleke, represented at the launch by Yusuf Akorede said the plan is designed to transform Plateau's agricultural system by ensuring that women, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups are actively integrated into efforts to strengthen food security, rather than left on the margins of implementation.
Yusuf described the plan as professionally developed and capable of delivering lasting results, but cautioned that its impact will depend on follow-through. He urged the state government to move beyond simply endorsing the document and commit to its full implementation.
The launch mirrors a similar Strategic Food Security Plan recently adopted in neighbouring Benue State, suggesting a coordinated push across Nigeria's North Central states to address how insecurity, displacement, and land-use conflict have converged to undermine agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods in the Middle Belt.
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