FAO, FG Signs MoU To Restore 350,000 Hectares Of Degraded Landscapes
By Ene Okwanihe, Abuja
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO, the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Agro- Climatic Resilience for the Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project to restore 350,000 hectares of degraded landscapes in Nigeria.
The MoU was signed between the parties at the United Nations House in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
Agro- Climatic Resilience for the Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) aims at increasing the implementation of sustainable landscape management practices in targeted watersheds in northern Nigeria and strengthen Nigeria’s long-term enabling environment for integrated climate resilient landscape management.
Speaking at signing ceremony The interim country representative of the FAO Mr. Dominique Kouacou said the FAO would be providing Technical Assistance for Landscape Restoration Services project in the country.
“The agreement we are signing today is important to FAO, because the objective to provide the required technical expertise for the development and implementation/up-scaling of the landscape restoration subcomponent of the ACReSAL Project, is in synergy with the Great Green Wall Sahel-wide initiative of the African Union”
“This Technical Assistance will certainly improve the development and delivery of resilience for land restoration and Climate Smart Agriculture knowledge and services to both the Federal, State and community levels by designing training materials and curricula tailor-made for restoration and value chain development and complement the activities supported by the Great Green Wall Sahel-wide initiative of the African Union” he added.
Kouacou stated that FAO is committed to sustain the support to the government and the Ministry in particular, to protect the environment and sustainably manage and conserve Nigeria’s vast natural resources.
While also noting that the objective of the project aligns to one of FAO’s global aspirations of a better environment as encapsulated in priority area 4 of the FAO Nigeria Country Programming Framework (CPF) 2023-2027, that targets improved and sustainable management of natural resources and climate action.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
On the part of the Nigerian government, the Minister of Environment Mr. Balarabe Lawal said the signing of the MoU is to further facilitate the implementation of one of the activities of the Agro-climatic Resilience in semi-Arid Landscape (ACReSAL) Project.
“We gather to sign the contract for the engagement of the Technical Assistance of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization to restore 350,000 hectares under the component B of the Project Development Objective of the ACReSAL Project towards building community climate resilience”
He noted that the importance of landscape restoration efforts cannot be over emphasized especially in the context of Nigeria’s environmental health and its visible impact on the livelihoods of the communities in entire northern part of Nigeria.
“Northern Nigeria, with its rich biodiversity and cultural heritage is plagued with serious challenges that requires innovative and collaborative solutions, it is indeed a great achievement to witness the commitment of the FAO and our partners, the World Bank to address these challenges by building capacity of the community to adapt and mitigate the challenges through this ground breaking initiative”
According to him, the contract signing represents a legal agreement and it symbolizes a shared vision for a sustainable and more resilient future where the ecosystem will thrive and communities will flourish.
Mr. Lawal added that the success of the engagement will depend on the collective efforts, perseverance and ability of the stakeholders involved to adapt to evolving circumstances, while calling on collaboration, innovation and inclusivity as the team work towards a common goal of a restored and resilient landscapes in the 19 ACReSAL States and the FCT.
