The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Climate Change Specialist, Ms. Nifesimi Ogunkua, on Monday, revealed plans to restore 18,000 hectares of degraded land in Cross River and Ondo states for sustainable cocoa and oil palm cultivation, to attract $200 million in investments to the value chain in Nigeria.
Ogunkua disclosed this during a four-day FAO Participatory Informed Landscape Approach (PILA) Workshop in Calabar.
The project will rehabilitate 10,800 hectares in Cross River and 8,000 hectares in Ondo through regenerative agriculture and forestry practices.
Its core objectives include developing two Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) frameworks at the state level, creating four integrated land-use plans at the local government level, and strengthening four gender-sensitive policies, regulations, and financing frameworks to advance sustainable land management.
She said, “The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and its partners are to support the restoration of 18,000 hectares of land in two states for the sustainable cultivation of cocoa and oil palm.
“The key deliverables of the project include the creation of two Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) frameworks at the state level and four integrated land-use plans at the local government level.
“Additionally, the project aims to strengthen at least four gender-sensitive state and federal government policies, regulations, and financing frameworks. It also targets an increase of up to $200 million in private and public investment in the sustainable cocoa and oil palm value chain.”
Ogunkua highlighted that the project addresses gaps identified by the Federal Government regarding the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
Supported by funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and FAO, the initiative aims to promote integrated landscape management.
The project is designed to focus on empowering smallholder farmers to adopt sustainable land management practices, improving land tenure systems, and enhancing women’s access to land.
Subsequently it seeks to prioritise environmentally responsible cocoa and oil palm production to ensure long-term sustainability.
The Assistant Director of Land, Environment, and Climate Change at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs. Iyabo Mustapha stressed the importance of the project in helping smallholder farmers align with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), ensuring their competitiveness in European markets.
She warned that failure to address environmental challenges could have lasting consequences for future generations.
According to Mrs. Mustapha, “The federal ministry of agriculture is also introducing additional support packages for these farmers.” She, however, warned that “If we fail to address these environmental concerns, the long-term impact could be detrimental—we may not have a viable environment for future generations.”
The Chairman of Boki Local Government Area in Cross River State, Mrs. Beatrice Nyiam highlighted the project’s relevance to her community.
She noted that Boki has suffered extensive environmental degradation from logging and excessive agricultural chemical use and expressed optimism that the initiative would help restore ecological balance and address these longstanding issues.