THE FOOD and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and the Borno State Government on Friday converged in Maiduguri to provide durable solutions to address climate-smart agricultural investment-related issues.
Mr Ali Galol, head of FAO North-east region, expressed happiness at attending the workshop, being the first in a series of state-level consultations in Maiduguri.
The envoy said they were in Borno to meet with state officials and other relevant stakeholders to determine how they could help develop a climate-resilient livelihoods strategy that aligns with the state government’s 25-year development plan.
Galol stated that the exercise would be looking at what Borno has and its potential in terms of agriculture, livestock and environment to provide durable solutions that would attract agricultural investment in the state.
He, however, said that the FAO was seriously committed to this development and assumed that the people and the government Borno of FAO total support to achieve the objectives of the initiative.
Also speaking, Bawu Musami, the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, said that the initiative was aimed at strengthening climate-resilient livelihoods for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), returnees and vulnerable host communities.
The commissioner said that the initiative was very significant to the state government, where communities for over a year have experienced the combined efforts of displacement, insecurity, climate variability, environmental degradation and limited access to livelihood opportunities.
“These challenges have placed considerable pressure on agricultural production systems and have affected the ability of many families to achieve sustainable food security and economic self-reliance.
“It is therefore important that our interventions move beyond short-term humanitarian assistance towards sustainable livelihoods recovery and development.
“While emergency support remains necessary in situations of vulnerability, we must also invest in solutions that enable IDPs, returnees and host communities to rebuild their lives, strengthen their productive capacities and become economically self-reliant,” Musami, who was represented by Hajara Dabol, Director Admin and Supplies in the ministry, said.
Prof. S B. Adamu of the University of Maiduguri, the guest speaker, expressed the stakeholders’ determination to work out modalities on durable solutions peculiar to Borno’s situation, especially something that would stand the test of time.
“If you are bringing durable solutions, bring in those solutions that at the end of the exercise people will be well skilled, especially in the area of self-reliance.
“So, if you are bringing durable solutions, you know there are myriad of them; such durable solutions must come in a way of making our people completely independent. Continuing to stay in the camp, continuing to stay in the neighbourhood is not the solution.
“If you look at the FAO operational mechanism, FAO don’t just stretch out things like handouts or simple intervention, but capacity building; you build the capacity of our people so that they can be skilled. If you are skilled, you can pave your way, so these are the emphasis in essence,” Adamu said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop was organised by the FAO and its technical services provider, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), in collaboration with the Borno government.
NAN reports that the insights generated will contribute to the development of the regional strategy and investment framework covering all Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and Benue.
The workshop brought together representatives from government ministries, UN agencies, development partners, academia, and technical institutions. (NAN)
