FAO empowers small-scale farmers to boost food security, employment in N’East

FAO empowers small-scale farmers to boost food security, employment in N’East

By Tada Juth, Maiduguri

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has stated that efforts are being intensified to further strengthen food security and employment and rebuild resilience among the vulnerable communities in the northeast region of Nigeria.

Speaking on Thursday, during a field visit to the Gongulong insurgency-affected community on the outskirts of Maiduguri, Borno State, FAO’s Senior Emergency and Rehabilitation Officer, Dunja Dujanovic, said, “The empowerment of small-scale farmholders’ interventions is an integrated agricultural project that has been transforming people’s livelihoods since 2019.”

According to her, the agricultural integrated initiative comprises crop production and aquaculture.

She stated that the combined agricultural practices will enable the affected communities to jointly cultivate and harvest food crops, while other farmers engage in fish farming to supplement their families’ protein intakes.

Besides food security in the region, Dujanovic added, “After producing the fish, they are sold to private sector investors and other food processing centers, where fish is used as a key ingredient in fortified porridge aimed at preventing severe acute malnutrition (SAM) among children.

She explained that the intervention forms part of FAO’s three-year emergency and resilience plan of action in Nigeria, which aligns with the organization’s global strategy to reduce acute hunger worldwide.

Dujanovic noted that Nigeria remains one of FAO’s top priority countries due to the rising scale of food security challenges.

She emphasised the importance of coordination among government institutions, development partners, and other stakeholders to ensure that investments are aligned and sustainable solutions are implemented.

Recent engagements in Abuja and at the state level, she stated, have focused on identifying practical, agriculture-driven solutions capable of transforming the food crisis and narrowing the food security gaps.

She added that the current focus is on scaling up agricultural pilot initiatives and strengthening partnerships with donors and international financial institutions.

She highlighted the value addition as a critical component of the strategy, explaining that developing stronger agricultural value chains would help create jobs for youth and women while tackling unemployment among youth and women.

Dujanovic added that FAO’s efforts align with the government’s broader goal of creating 21 million jobs and lifting 35 million Nigerians out of poverty.