Present food situation in Nigeria depicts a dreadful scenario as food deficits and the resultant consequences of malnutrition, disease and hunger are common. The present mode of food production has not been able to address the tripartite requirements of food security; namely food availability, accessibility and utilization. This calls for the engagement of more viable time tested and scientifically proven approaches to contending with the challenges of food insecurity. This study examines one of such approaches which is agricultural biotechnology, through which higher yielding, quick maturing, nutritious crop varieties can be developed thereby enhancing availability, accessibility and utilization of food in the country. It discusses the challenges of food insecurity in Nigeria and pointed out their consequences on individual and national development. It also presented how agricultural biotechnology could be used to advance the course of attaining food security in Nigeria through the application of genetic engineering, tissue culture techniques and recombinant DNA techniques on some of our staple crops like maize, sorghum, yam, cassava and rice to enhance their production capacities. The study advocates the incorporation of biotechnologically enhanced crops in the production practices of Nigeria farmers given its wide spread potentials for attaining food security and economic empowerment, at household and national levels.
