FAO Targets 296, 800 for 2022 Rainy Season Farming intervention

Ene Okwanihe, Abuja

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) targets to support two hundred and ninety-six thousand, eight hundred (296, 800) vulnerable smallholder farmers in parts of northern Nigeria with agricultural seeds and fertilizers for the 2022 rainy season farming to mitigate against pending food crisis.

The initiative was launched in Borno, Adamawa, Sokoto, Taraba and Yobe states 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).

In Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, the Honourable Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Ali Bunu Mustapha, after flagging off the distribution of the agricultural inputs on behalf of the state government, commended the commitment of FAO and its partners to rebuilding the livelihood of the people in the state.

“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” he stated.

And in Yola, the Adamawa state capital, the representative of the Honourable Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Mrs. Dorothy Augustine said the Ministry of Agriculture is appreciative of the support given to farmers in the state by the FAO.

Mrs. Augustine urged the beneficiaries to make the best use of the inputs made available to them.

According to the Head of FAO Northeast Sub-office, Al Hassan Cisse who was represented by Tofiq Braimah, the support of FAO to the affected populations is hinged on the desire to get them back to sustainable food production for self-sustenance and livelihood restoration.

“The rainy season intervention targets 42 400 households across Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Sokoto and Taraba states, the inputs distributed will help households mitigate the escalating food insecurity while at the same time contribute to build the resilience of host communities and returnees” he added.

With recent disruption of farming pursuits in some parts of the Northwest region due to exacerbating activities of banditry as well as farmer – herder clashes, farming households have been forced to seek safer locations to dwell and practice their vocation of food production.

These challenges coupled with other effects of climate change have compounded the threat to food security in the country, this concern guided the inclusion of Sokoto and Taraba states in the 2022 rainy season intervention.

It would be recalled that the Food security analysis called Cadre Harmonise (CH) conducted by FAO and partners last year projected that 4.1 million people in the northeast region would be under serious threat if urgent measures are not taken.

FAO with the support from donors since 2016 has been implementing extensive programmes targeting internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees and their host communities in the three states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, most affected by the prolonged armed conflict that has plagued the area.