FAO boosts 210,000 farmers in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe with inputs

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a significant distribution of agricultural inputs to aid 210,000 farmers impacted by conflict in Nigeria's northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe. The initiative, which began in Maiduguri, Borno State, provides essential resources like seedlings, livestock feed, and fertilizers.

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These interventions will benefit 30,000 households, approximately 210,000 people, across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, with particular attention to recently relocated households and communities recovering from conflict.

Dr. Hussein Gadain, FAO Nigeria Country Director, stated that the intervention goes beyond immediate food relief. It aims to empower families to achieve food self-sufficiency, generate income, and restore their livelihoods with dignity. The program will benefit approximately 30,000 households, totaling 210,000 individuals, with a focus on recently resettled communities recovering from conflict. The distribution includes 163 metric tons of improved seeds, 238 metric tons of NPK fertilizer, 375 metric tons of livestock feed, poultry, goats, and Tom Brown.

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Others are 375 metric tonnes of livestock feed; 118,000 poultry pullets; 3,000 goats; and 116 metric tonnes of Tom Brown.

Gadain highlighted that this effort is crucial given the protracted conflict, climate-related shocks, displacement, and rising food prices plaguing the region. Projections indicate that 36.29 million people across Nigeria face acute food insecurity during the lean season. In the BAY states alone, about 6.38 million people are expected to be in crisis levels of food insecurity. The FAO is also investing in long-term solutions, including irrigation systems, aquaculture, and climate-smart agricultural practices to enhance productivity and resilience throughout the year. The project is supported by the governments of Norway, Switzerland, and Japan.

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Beyond these emergency agriculture input distributions, FAO continues to invest in longer-term solutions that improve agricultural productivity and resilience, such as the establishment of irrigation cluster farms, solar-powered irrigation systems, aquaculture and Tom Brown production centres, dairy and fodder production facilities, and the promotion of climate-smart agricultural practices that enable farmers to produce throughout the year.