Multisectoral intervention on food security in complex emergencies: a discourse on regional resilience praxis in Northeast Nigeria

Sustainable livelihood as an enabler of food security can be constrained by climate variability and violent conflicts, with dire consequences in regions with crude adaptation practices. The effects of such ‘complex emergency crises’ on food production and livelihoods in Northeast Nigeria impair human security and resilience, particularly, in the Boko Haram ravaged Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, and the adjoining Lake Chad region. This study examines the efficacy of multisectoral interventions on food security and resilience in Northeast Nigeria, using the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach. Its thematic analysis of qualitative data was supported by the Cadre Harmonisé (CH) regional report of acute food insecurity assessment in the Sahel. It reveals that due to less collaborative and disjointed implementation of multi-stakeholder interventions across critical sectors, the humanitarian, food, and livelihood interventions marginally improve food security and resilience in the region. It recommends that livelihood outcomes and sustainability of the regional resource base be prioritised through diversification of food production, development aid and a holistic regional stabilisation programme. The impact of these mechanisms on agribusiness transformation and long-term food security in northeast Nigeria are significant for adaptation and sustainable livelihood in complex emergencies.