A total of €100 million has been committed by Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, and the Niger Republic to strengthen the agricultural resilience of small-scale food producers in the Sahel.
Through participatory planning and the efficient integration of soil, water, and biodiversity, the program aims to create a lasting impact in the battle against desertification and land degradation, as well as landscape and watershed management.
At the pre-launch of the International Fertilizer Development Center’s new initiative, “Soil Values,” in Abuja on Monday, Bidjokazo Fofana, the program director, made this announcement.
The Food and Agriculture Organization stated in 2023 that between June and August of 2024, no fewer than 26.5 million Nigerians would experience a food crisis.
According to the international organization, there was an increased risk for states like Borno, Sokoto, and Zamfara, including the Federal Capital Territory.
Food insecurity is caused by a number of issues, including natural resource-based conflicts, banditry, and ongoing insecurity. Inflation has also raised the price of food and agricultural inputs. Dominique Kouacou, the FAO’s national representative, laid the blame for these issues.
“The program will bring together different donor communities to investigate opportunities for additional funding, benefiting not only Sahelian countries but also the larger regional and global community,” stated Fofana.
“The four countries shared the €100 million budget, with Nigeria contributing €40 million and Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger Republic contributing €20 million each,” Fofana continued.
Fofana gave a detailed explanation of the selection of Nigeria for the regional launch, highlighting the country’s productivity and potential to have a major influence on the Soil Values program.
“We expect a lot from Nigeria,” Fofana stated. Compared to Mali, Burkina Faso, and the Niger Republic, Nigeria is a very productive nation that is changing the game in the soil value program.
Prem Bindraban, Senior Technical Adviser at IFDC, outlined intentions to train farmers to improve their farming methods.
Bindraban emphasized the project’s contribution to institutional investments and the successful execution of larger programs, like those funded by the World Bank.
“This project will assist and support institutional investments and larger programmes such as loans given by the World Bank to be implemented effectively. The small-scale farmers, women, and youths would benefit from this project,” he added.
The project’s emphasis on Nigeria’s northern regions was emphasized by Yusuf Ramani, the IFDC’s country director, stressing how critical it is to close gaps in the agriculture sector in order to support the government’s goal of enhancing national food security.
“The Northern parts of the country are targeted for this initiative,” Ramani declared.
“To ensure that whatever is implemented is in line with the government’s agenda to improve food insecurity in the country, the gaps in the agricultural sector should be addressed”.
