CELLULAR AGRICULTURE FOR FOOD SECURITY: TECHNO-ECONOMIC PROSPECTS, CONFLICT MITIGATION, AND EQUITY BARRIERS IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES

Chronic undernourishment affected 733 million people globally in 2023, with Sub-Saharan Africa recording the highest prevalence at 20.4% (FAO, 2024). In Nigeria, fish contributes greater than 40% of animal protein, but inland fisheries such as the Ekole River are under pressure from overfishing and 70 species at risk (Igbani & Uka, 2019). Simultaneously, farmer-herder clashes over land and water have become a major food security menace. Cellular agriculture (CA), comprising cultivated meat, microbial protein, and precision fermentation, offers a land- and water-sparing protein pathway. This scoping review and techno-economic assessment evaluates CA's potential to reduce protein deficits and resource-based conflicts in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), using Nigeria as a case. Findings suggest CA could supplement protein supply by 2050 if costs fall below $5/kg and could reduce pressure on grazing/farm lands that drive herder-farmer violence. However, scalability is constrained by high production costs of $10 - 50/kg, energy dependence, weak novel-food regulation, and low consumer acceptance. We conclude that CA must be deployed as a complement to sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, and land-use governance, not a replacement