DAILY TRUST

The federal government and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) have begun the implementation of the integrated landscape management and sustainable food system in the Niger Delta region of the country.

Speaking at the inception Workshop for project preparation of the Food System Land Use and Restoration Impact Programme (FOLUR-IP) orginsed by the FAO in Abuja, Dr Bolatito Obisesan, director of the project, said it would focus on cocoa and oil palm in cross River and Ondo states.

“The focus on cocoa and palm oil in cross river states is occasioned by the observed increase in demand for oil palm and cocoa which has resulted in to major environmental degradations in these areas… the programme will use a holistic method that will navigate the process of land resources management and sustainable food production system,” Dr Obisesan said.

The FAO Country Representative, Mr Fred Kafeero, stressed that Ondo and Cross River states were chosen because they are home to over 50% of the remaining tropical rain forest in the country.

Mr Kafeero said that the FAO was committed to deepening partnership with the federal government in sustainable management of natural resources, addressing impact of climate change and reducing Greenhouse Gas Emission arising from agricultural activities.

“FAO applauds the policies and strategies adopted by government to ensure the sustainable management of its forest and ecosystems to improve food security as well as aim at a 20% reduction in emission by 2030, as contained in Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and Agriculture Promotion Plan (APP),” Kafeero said.