Food security: EU’s €10m agric intervention project in Taraba yielding results – Stakeholders

The European Union (EU) and Oxfam in Nigeria and other stakeholders, have expressed satisfaction with the 10 million euro EU Support to Food Security and Resilience in Taraba State (PROSELL Project).

They made this known during a Stakeholders’ meeting organised by OXFAM aimed at examining the extend to which PROSELL has achieved its goals and objectives, while identifying various changes and challenges to develop sustainability workplan in Abuja.

The EU in 2018 launched the project known as PROSELL, to improve the resilience of small-scale farmers, fishermen and livestock owners in the face of shocks from climate change, such as changing rainfall patterns, drought and desertification.

The projects is being implemented in Takum, Zing, Kurmi, Donga, Wukari and Ardokola Local Government Areas of Taraba.

The project being implemented by Oxfam and Development Exchange Centre (DEC) would be implemented in 54 months in targeting 40,000 households in six LGAs namely: Ardo Kola,Takum,Zing,Kurmi,Wukari and Donga.

Ms Samuela Isopi, the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS said the 10 million euro budget for the project was part of the union’s taxpayers solidarity with Nigeria to make an impact in food security, poverty alleviation, and access to food.

Isopi represented by Mr Temitayo Omole ,Programme Manager ,Social and Community Development , said in 2014 , EU did an elaborate assessment of needs in Nigeria and the states with the highest burden of food insecurity were Taraba ,Adamawa and Kebbi .

She said that following that analysis and taking the limited resources into consideration, EU picked Kebbi and Adamawa in the first round of funding and then when additional funding came up Taraba was picked as focal sector for food security.

“The EU funding in practice is catalytic to demonstrate possibility with regards to the issue of food security, the implementation has been quite good in fact, it has met our expectation from different criteria.

“This is in terms of the management of resources, identification of beneficiaries, communities and locations, the interaction that we are having with key stakeholders like the state and local governments in the six LGAs where the programme is being implemented in Taraba.

“One of the key indicators for success in the implementation is the capability of the programme to empower our government counterparts at the state and local government levels and at the community level to be able to do things better.