FG, FAO sign agreement on implementation of $99.5m programme

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Nigerian Government have entered into an agreement to implement the FAO Nigeria Country Programming Framework (CPF).

The CPF is a five-year agricultural project whose funds are drawn from the federal, state governments and local and international donors. The last CPF in Nigeria started in 2018 and was terminated in 2022.

The FAO Representative in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Fred Kafeero in his presentation during the agreement signing, said the project is a medium-term priority area that focuses FAO work for the next five years.

He said following the expiration of the 2018 to 2022 CPF, FAO in Nigeria commenced the process of consultation with relevant stakeholders at the federal level and at selected state levels.

“The CPF is aligned with the national development policies and programmes in this country, it is aligned with our offer and support as the United Nations in Nigeria, it is also aligned with our FAO global strategic framework that emphasises the transformation of agri-food systems in countries.

“The CPF in this case also takes advantage of a number of cooperative initiatives that FAO has launched in the last few years.

“We are focusing on four pillars which we call the strategic pillars and they are best on the FAO global strategy to realise what is called the four Betters; Better production, Better nutrition, Better environment, and Better life,” he said.

The Assistant FAO Representative to Nigeria, (Programme), Abubakar Suleiman in his presentation, said the project has four pillars which include, sustainable and inclusive agri-food systems for improved productivity, Increasing resilience of food and agriculture-based livelihood systems, healthy and nutritious diets, and Sustainable natural resource and climate management.

He said the project aims to strengthen capacities for value chain analysis, and upgrading of priority commodity value chains; capacities for increased productivity in livestock, fisheries, and selected crop and forest value chains; strong capacities for digital agriculture solutions for increased market opportunities and productivity; strong surveillance capacity for the plant-animal–human––environment interface through the One Health approach, among others,

He said a total of $99,521,000 would be required to implement the project, and there is already the availability of $16,352,00, while the remaining $83,159,000 would be addressed through mobilization and partnership with multilateral and unilateral donors including government at federal and state levels.

In his address, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammad Abubakar said CPF is coming at the time farmers desire it most with expectations that the program will deliver to enable vulnerable households access to better food, maintain healthy diets, and improve the rural economy.

The Minister said in preparing the country programming framework with key stakeholders, “four pillars of priorities for agricultural development include; strengthen national food and nutrition security through enhanced nutrition-sensitive and climate-smart food systems; support for appropriate and operationally effective agricultural policy and regulatory framework; support to Nigeria economic diversification agenda and promotion of decent employment for youth and women in the agriculture value chains; Improve efficiently and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystem; and enhance disaster risk reduction, resilience building and emergency management towards strengthening the humanitarian-development nexus.

“it is essential to note that if the agriculture sector must be transformed, we must all prepare to invest massively in the sector and rise to the call against hunger and food waste in the value chains.

“We should indeed develop a strong action Plan to address the impact of climate change, global pandemic, institutional inadequacies, post-harvest losses and weak supply chain on food systems in partnership with development partners.”

READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE 

• You’re wrong, our mandate was ‘stolen’ by your party, LP replies Buhari

• I relocated to church, but my wife still comes to fight me, threatens to kill me

• The town where all 6,000 inhabitants live in the same street

• I felt like I won a jackpot when I had my first 5.0 CGP —Oluwapelumi Adejumo, best graduating student, Faculty of Engineering, FUOYE

• Vigilante officer rescues newborn baby from refuse dump in Rivers

• $1.2 million: No more money to evacuate us — Nigerian student trapped in Sudan