The European Union and a development organisation, Oxfam International, have pledged about N2.4bn (€11m) to support food security and resilience of most vulnerable people in Kebbi and Adamawa states for four years.
The pledge was made when a team led by the Head of Oxfam Great Britain and Head of Programmes, Mr. Constant Tchona, embarked on an exploratory visit to the proposed project intervention local government areas for the inauguration of the new livelihood projects.
The new project known as Pro-resilience Action, according to a statement by Oxfam, will be funded by the European Union with Oxfam Great Britain co-financing.
According to Oxfam, the Governor of Kebbi State, Abubakar Bagudu, has pledged that the state government will partner all development agencies and international non-governmental organisations to fight poverty among the people and ensure sustainable development in the state.
The firm added that Bagudu expressed gratitude to Oxfam for choosing his state for the project, adding that if the project was properly implemented as proposed, it would alleviate the suffering of vulnerable people in the state while contributing to the agricultural transformation drive embarked upon by the state government.
“Our government is particularly interested in transiting agriculture from occupation of inheritance to occupation of choice. I, therefore, canvass for a strategic empowerment of our women in agro-processing as a key component of the new project,” he was quoted as saying.
Tchona noted that the project was aimed at improving food security, nutrition and resilience of vulnerable households in disaster and conflict-affected communities in Kebbi and Adamawa states, adding that 35,000 people, of which 50 per cent would be women, would benefit from it.
He added that it would be done through building the capacity of 700 farmer groups and 700 savings groups in seven local government areas (three in Kebbi and four in Adamawa).
He said, “The project will establish 70 farm field schools to transfer farming techniques to farmers, plant 500,000 trees to combat desertification and climate change, establish 1,400 village savings and loan groups to facilitate access to flexible financing services.
“It will also establish 700 cereal banks to promote community-based food reserves, implement/establish cash transfer and cash for work of 12,000 households to promote rapid improvements in the lives of vulnerable people, promote access of farmers to agricultural inputs such as drought tolerant seeds of about 175,000kg.”
