FAO Supports 296, 800 Vulnerable Smallholder Farmers In Nigeria

As part of efforts to prevent food crisis in Nigeria, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has said it will support 296, 800 vulnerable smallholder farmers living in parts of northern states with agricultural seeds and fertilisers for the 2022 rainy season.

Speaking on the initiative, the Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Borno State, Dr. Ali Bunu Mustapha, who, on behalf of the state government, flagged off the distribution of the agricultural inputs lauded the commitment of FAO and its partners towards rebuilding the livelihood of people in the state.

He said, “This is very fundamental to the agenda of the government of Borno state, because agriculture is the backbone of our people, without which we cannot survive. We are asking for more support from FAO and its partners because the people really need help, the state government has provided the enabling environment for more support and we are committed to do more if required.”

On his part, Head of FAO Northeast Sub-office, Al Hassan Cisse, said the support was hinged on the desire to get displaced persons back to sustainable food production for self-sustenance and livelihood restoration.

Represented by Tofiq Braimah, the FAO official noted that the rainy season intervention targeted 42, 400 households across Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Sokoto and Taraba states, adding that the inputs distributed will help households mitigate the escalating food insecurity while at the same time contribute to building the resilience of host communities and returnees.

Meanwhile, it was gathered that the initiative was launched with funding support from the governments of Canada, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland as well as the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) and the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

Agro Nigeria