To increase the agricultural resilience of small-scale food producers in the Sahel region, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, and the Niger Republic have all collectively invested €100 million.
Through participatory planning and the efficient integration of soil, water, and biodiversity, the programme aims to create a lasting impact in the battle against desertification and land degradation, as well as landscape and watershed management.
This was announced on Monday at the pre-launch of the new initiative of the International Fertiliser Development Center "Soil Values," in Abuja, by Bidjokazo Fofana, the programme director.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation predicted in 2023 that between June and August of 2024, no fewer than 26.5 million Nigerians would experience a food crisis.
According to the international organisation, there was an increased risk for states like Borno, Sokoto, and Zamfara, and also the Federal Capital Territory.
Food insecurity is caused by a number of issues, including natural resource-based conflicts, banditry, and ongoing insecurity. Inflation has also raised the price of food and agricultural inputs. Dominique Kouacou, the FAO's national representative, laid the blame for these issues.
According to Fofana, the plan would bring together different donor groups to investigate ways to get more funds, which will help the Sahelian countries as well as the larger regional and global community.
The €100 million budget was split among the four nations; Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger Republic, and Nigeria each contributed €20 million, while Nigeria contributed €40 million.
Fofana gave a detailed explanation of the selection of Nigeria for the regional launch, highlighting the country's productivity and potential to have a major influence on the Soil Values programme.
Prem Bindraban, Senior Technical Adviser at IFDC, outlined intentions to train farmers to improve their farming methods.
Bindraban emphasised the project's contribution to institutional investments and the successful execution of bigger initiatives, such those funded by the World Bank.
