Government - FAO to promote Integrated Landscape Management and Sustainable Food Systems in the Niger Delta
Abuja, Nigeria. An inaugural meeting opened in Abuja, to sensitize stakeholders on emergent issues relating to the planned implementation of the project to restore climate impacted landscapes and promote the production of some agriculture produce in the Niger Delta.
The two-day event organised by the government of Nigeria in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) tagged “Inception workshop for project preparation of GEF-7 Food System Land Use and Restoration Impact Programme (FOLUR-IP)”, will set the stage for the implementation of the project "Promoting Integrated Landscape Management and Sustainable Food Systems in the Niger Delta”
With funding support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), through the FOLUR-IP, the interventions in Cross Rivers and Ondo States will focus on delivering multiple ecosystem services for landscape restoration and promoting sustainable cocoa and palm oil systems..
It is believed that biodiversity conservation would be also achieved through integrated landscape management and sustainable agriculture, which collectively will control further advancement into, and degradation of high conservation value forests in the selected states.
Declaring the workshop open the Minister of Environment Dr. Mohammed Abubakar represented by the GEF-7 Operational focal Point Dr. Bolatito Obisesan said the prospects the project holds to reposition the environment and support livelihood is in line with the focus of government. It supports the “need for land use and crop production that the ministry found irresistible”.
In his remarks, the FAO Representative in Nigeria Fred Kafeero noted the high level participation of multiple stakeholders at the meeting, noting that Nigeria’s ecosystem is one of the biodiversity hotspots in the world and offers high potential for sustainable cultivation of different agricultural commodities.
The two beneficiary states represented by the Commissioners of Agriculture expressed the readiness of the states to provide the enabling environment and partner FAO and other stakeholders to ensure the success of the project.
Over 50% of the remaining tropical forest in Nigeria within the threatened West African Guinea forest, is domiciled in these two states. The inception workshop will set the stage for effective planning and subsequent implementation of the project.
The project is unique, as it will contribute to ensuring that agricultural production does not expand further into high conservation value forests within the target states. This will be so, when sustainable and climate smart agriculture practices are scaled up. It will also contribute to
biodiversity conservation through integrated landscape management planning, restoration of land and forests.
About 46 participants attended the event both virtually and physically.
Related links:
https://www.thegef.org/sites/default/files/documents/FOLUR%20IP.pdf
http://www.fao.org/3/CA2862EN/ca2862en.pdf
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David Tsokar
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0806 616 2876