By Abdullahi Lukman
The Food and Agric Organization (FAO) and Global Environmental Facility (GEF) have provided $200 million for the restoration of 18,000 hectares of degraded land across Cross River and Ondo states.
The project seeks to boost Nigeria’s agricultural sector and promote sustainable land management practices.
FAO climate change specialist, Nifesimi Ogunkua, revealed the details of the project during a four-day Participatory Informed Landscape Approach (PILA) Workshop in Calabar, explaining that the initiative would focus on rehabilitating land for sustainable cocoa and oil palm cultivation.
The restoration effort, she said, would target 10,800 hectares in Cross River and 8,000 hectares in Ondo, using regenerative agriculture and forestry techniques to improve the soil and enhance agricultural productivity.
As part of the initiative, Ogunkua outlined several key objectives, including: The establishment of two Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) frameworks at the state level; The development of four integrated land-use plans at the local government level! and The enhancement of at least four gender-sensitive policies, regulations, and financing frameworks for sustainable land management.
The specialist said the initiative would address Nigeria’s compliance gaps with the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which had been identified by the Nigerian government.
The project also focuses on empowering smallholder farmers by promoting sustainable farming practices, strengthening land tenure, and improving access to land for women.
The initiative is seen as a major step forward in promoting environmentally responsible cocoa and oil palm production, which is crucial for long-term agricultural sustainability in Nigeria.
Through this restoration effort, FAO and GEF aim to create lasting economic, environmental, and social benefits, contributing to both climate resilience and the development of Nigeria’s agricultural sector.