By Faridat Salifu
The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to modern agricultural practices as part of efforts to protect soil health, improve crop yields, and reduce harmful emissions from farming activities.
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi, disclosed this at the close-out workshop of the Abatement of Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCP) in the Nigerian Agricultural Sector project held in Abuja.
The workshop, themed “Local Action, National Impact: Building Resilience through Climate-Smart Agriculture,” marked the conclusion of a project aimed at reducing emissions linked to open field burning and other traditional farming practices.
Ogunbiyi said the project demonstrated how practical, farmer-centred, and scalable solutions could address climate change while strengthening food systems.
He described the initiative, implemented by Self Help Africa in collaboration with the ministry and supported by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), as an example of how global climate commitments can be translated into local action.
Ogunbiyi noted that the Climate Change Act of 2021 provides Nigeria with a legal and institutional framework to pursue low-emission, climate-resilient, and sustainable economic growth.
He said agriculture occupies a strategic position within the framework because it is both highly vulnerable to climate impacts and a significant source of methane and black carbon emissions.
According to him, Nigeria’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) prioritise the agricultural sector for mitigation and adaptation through methane reduction, improved residue management, and the promotion of climate-smart agricultural practices.
He said the SLCP Abatement Project directly supports national climate priorities and contributes to the country’s NDC Implementation Roadmap.
Ogunbiyi explained that short-lived climate pollutants such as black carbon from open field burning and methane from rice cultivation and livestock systems are major contributors to near-term global warming.
He added that although these pollutants remain in the atmosphere for a shorter time than carbon dioxide, their warming impact is significantly higher and poses serious risks to air quality, public health, and agricultural sustainability.
The permanent secretary said addressing SLCPs presents Nigeria with a triple-win opportunity to slow climate warming, improve public health, and enhance agricultural productivity and resilience.
He called on development partners to support project scale-up, longer implementation timelines, and results-based financing models.
Ogunbiyi also urged financial institutions to develop tailored products for farmers adopting low-emission and climate-smart practices.
He encouraged extension agents and farmers to act as ambassadors of no-burn agriculture to ensure the project delivers lasting national impact.
Also speaking, the Director of Lands and Climate Change Management Services, Oshadiya Olanipekun, said SLCPs pose serious risks to the climate, air quality, and public health.
He noted that tackling emissions from agriculture could reduce warming while improving environmental health and productivity.
Earlier, the Country Representative of Self Help Africa, Joy Aderele, said the project strengthened extension systems, built farmer capacity, and generated evidence to inform policy and national action.
