Minister Seeks Global Support For Sustainable Climate-smart Food Systems

Nigeria has called for stronger planetary enactment to thrust climate-smart nutrient systems that safeguard the environment, reconstruct ecosystems and warrant unafraid livelihoods for farmers.

The curate of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, made the entreaty astatine the high-level event, “Unlocking Sustainable Agrifood Systems for Climate, Nature and Livelihoods”, during the Standing Committee connected Finance Forum of the United Nations Framework Convention connected Climate Change (UNFCCC) successful Rome, Italy.

Kyari said Nigeria was reshaping its cultivation policies to align with planetary clime goals portion improving nutrient accumulation and tackling poverty.

He recalled that successful 2022, the ministry partnered with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) nether the Monitoring and Analyzing Food and Agricultural Policies (MAFAP) programme, which has since provided in-depth argumentation investigation to usher reforms.

According to a connection issued by the ministry’s caput of accusation department, Ezeaja Ikemefuna, the curate noted that Nigeria is spearheading a nationalist inaugural for a climate-resilient and nature-positive nutrient system.

He outlined existent strategies to see the organisation of improved seeds, adoption of sustainable ungraded absorption practices, enlargement of agroforestry and measures to boost nutrient output.

He stressed that the National Agrifood Systems Investment Plan (NASIP) remains cardinal to this vision.

“NASIP aims to heighten cultivation investments, boost agrifood production, make jobs, alleviate poverty, and marque steadfast diets much affordable. At the aforesaid time, it seeks to little greenhouse state emissions from agrifood accumulation and beforehand reforestation,” the curate said.

Kyari besides revealed that Nigeria’s forthcoming Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0) would further integrate agriculture into the country’s clime commitments.

Priority areas see climate-smart farming for crops and horticulture, regenerative agriculture, onshore restoration, and empowerment of women and younker farmers.

He noted that Nigeria’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) has been precocious to embed clime resilience crossed agriculture, water, health, and infrastructure, with accent connected community-led and ecosystem-based solutions.

On clime finance, the curate explained that Nigeria is positioning itself to payment from Article 6 of the Paris Agreement done c trading and results-based mechanisms.

“By leveraging c credits from climate-smart agriculture, afforestation, and ecosystem restoration, Nigeria aims to pull further concern portion supporting smallholder farmers,” helium said.

Highlighting ongoing initiatives, Kyari pointed to the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ), Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise successful the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND), Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), and the National Agricultural Growth Scheme–Agro Pockets (NAGS-AP).

He emphasised that further financing is needed to standard up climate-resilient crops and sustainable farming practices.

“Let each nations perpetrate to coherent nationalist strategies that align clime objectives with cultivation development, backed by catalytic concern and argumentation reform.

Let planetary fiscal institutions specified arsenic IFAD, FAO, and GEF standard up concessional and blended finance, stock risk, and enactment scalable, high-impact programmes that scope smallholder farmers and agrarian communities”, helium added.