The Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project, financed by the World Bank, has restored 160,000 hectares of degraded land to enhance food security in Nigeria.
Cyril Bikom, Agriculture Expert Advisor to the National Project Coordinator, Abdulhamid Umar, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.
ACReSAL is a six-year project launched in late 2021, aimed at addressing land degradation and climate change across 19 states in Northern Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The initiative, scheduled to conclude in 2028, consists of four key components.
Land restoration and key project components
Bikom stated that ACReSAL aims to restore one million hectares of degraded land, including abandoned areas and those affected by erosion, desertification, deforestation, and unsustainable agricultural practices.
“The project comprises four key components: dryland management, which addresses desertification and various aspects of land degradation; community climate resilience; institutional strengthening and project management; and a contingent emergency response, which serves as a financing mechanism available to borrowers,” he explained.
Capacity building for farmers
He added that ACReSAL also focuses on capacity building by training farmers in best agricultural practices, known as smart agriculture.
“The project is primarily implemented at the state and community levels, with World Bank-supported funds allocated for actual project interventions, while the Federal Government provides counterpart funding,” he said.
Enhancing food production through funding and irrigation
Bikom highlighted the Community Revolving Fund (CRF) as a key component supporting food production, ensuring that funds disbursed to farmers are monitored for effective loan recovery.
He commended the Federal Government for its contributions to food production through land restoration, noting that the project also provides solar-powered boreholes for irrigation and agricultural inputs.
Collaboration and multi-sectoral implementation
According to him, the project incorporates intercropping to replenish soil nutrients, aligning with the Federal Government’s efforts.
“We also collaborate with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations to secure 350,000 hectares of degraded land,” he said.
Bikom added that the project is led by three ministries—the Federal Ministry of Environment, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation—and operates through collaboration and multi-sectoral implementation.
Strategic catchment areas and agricultural sustainability
Bikom noted that the project operates as a multi-sectoral and multi-institutional initiative, with other ministries also playing a crucial role in its implementation.
“We are targeting 20 strategic catchments, one for each state, and 200 micro-catchments, with 10 per state,” he said.
He added that the overall intervention supports agricultural production and promotes sustainable land management practices across the participating states in the ACReSAL project.
