The World Bank has commenced the implementation of its $700 million Agro-Climate Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project in Nigeria.
The project to be implemented in 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital territory (FCT ) seeks to reclaim and halt degradation in the region to enhance food security as well mitigate frequent farmers/herders clashes.
The National Coordinator, ACReSAL, Abdulhamid Umar, stated this at a workshop for 19 Northern State Coordinators in Jos, Plateau State.
Umar said: “The Northern parts of Nigeria is faced with continuous environmental degradation such as desert encroachment, erosion, mining etc leading to migration of farmers and herders from the region.
According to him, “The ACReSAL Project is a six-year strategic project prioritising actions within four components: Dryland Management, Community Climate Resilience, Institutional Strengthening and Project Management, and Contingent Emergency Response. It will improve the capacity of the country to adapt to a changing climate, largely through enhancing multi-sectoral convergence (across environment, agriculture and water) and technology modernisation, including improved use of data, analytics, and connectivity.
“There are 11 Frontline states of northern Nigeria where desert encroachment is so severe, the landscape in these states are steadily degrading. Coupled with degradation resulting from mining activities in Plateau, Nasarawa, Zamfara etc.”
“This intervention from World Bank is a deliberate intention to seek ways to halt this degradations and restore the land for improved farming and agricultural activities in the affected states so as to improve conditions of living of the people.’’
“The strategy is to devise resilience methods to these climatic conditions that are promoting this environmental degradation to be able to sustain the mainstay of the economy of northern Nigeria using methods that are peculiar to the affected communities.
According to him, the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes Project (ACreSAL) has the mandate to increase the adoption of sustainable landscape management practices in targeted watersheds in northern Nigeria and strengthen Nigeria’s Long term framework for integrated climate-resilient landscape management.
“We have over 250 participants in this capacity building session for managers and implementers of ACReSAL project across northern Nigeria on issues of landscape restoration for agricultural purposes”
Earlier, Plateau state coordinator of ACReSAL, Garuba Gowon in his welcome address to participants said the project is meant to draw technical support to communities to be more resilient to the unfavorable climatic condition in their various states.
“At the end of the project the region is expected to achieve environmental security and food security, he said.
Recall that the World Bank December last year approved a $700m credit from the International Development Association (IDA) for the project.