FAO To Assist 688,800 People For Rainy Season Farming
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations has targeted 98, 400 households, which translates to 688, 800 people for assistance during the ongoing rainy season in the Northeast.
This follows assistance rendered to 78,000 households, about 546,000 people, during the 2018/19 dry season activities in the troubled region by the United Nations’ organisation.
A report by FAO, made available to our correspondent on Wednesday, said the targeted people would be assisted with crop seed and fertilizer, noting that the success of the 2019 rainy season would determine the food security and income needs of about 80 per cent of the people in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.
The report further indicated, “78 000 households (546, 000 people) in Northeastern Nigeria were targeted for FAO’s 2018/19 dry season activities – FAO has distributed fertilizer and high yielding, early maturing rice and maize seed as well as vegetable seed.
It recalled that “a decade of conflict has severely affected food production systems in Northeastern Nigeria, with the worst affected states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe experiencing high displacement, enormous human, social and economic losses and severe levels of food insecurity and malnutrition.”
It lamented that the overall impact of the conflict on agriculture was estimated at USD 3.7 billion (World Bank and Buhari Plan).
It stated, “Of the 1.9 million IDPs, who face significant food and livelihood challenges in the three Northeastern states (DTM IOM Round XXVI, January 2019), more than 80 percent are in Borno. Due to the influx of IDPs and the tense security situation, host communities have reduced access to land and other resources for food production, leading to high levels of poverty and malnutrition.
“Vulnerable households also face less access to humanitarian services due to the inaccessibility of some areas deemed ‘no go’ amid security concerns. Compounding these challenges is a severe climate variability that is negatively affecting production systems, resulting in reduced crop yields and livestock productivity.”
