FAO to build farmers’ resilience to agric disaster, shocks

FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has promised to build more resilience of farmers to shocks arising from agricultural disasters in Nigeria.

The UN body reiterated the need to move away from managing disasters to managing risks to build farmers’ resilience to manage shocks bedeviling the sector.

Addressing journalists at a media briefing in Abuja, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa Abebe Haile-Gabriel the support is in line with the organization’s mission which is to support its members in achieving sustainable agriculture and good transformation.

Haile-Gabriel, who is on a five-day visit to Nigeria with the FAO Deputy Director of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience Shukri Ahmed, said the visit is aimed at interacting with key government officials and different stakeholders in drive towards food security and achieving sustainable development goals agenda of zero hunger.

While noting that Nigeria remains a very important partner for FAO, he said the organisation will continue to strengthen its partnership with the Nigerian government so as to achieve food security amidst daunting challenges facing the agricultural sector.

Speaking, Director of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience Shukri Ahmed, called on  the federal government to build resilience of Nigerian farmers to manage the various risk factors in the sector.

He also noted that it is also important for the country to prepare to take proactive measures against disasters such as displacement due to conflict, floods, droughts and several other climate related disasters.

He noted that the delegation’s mission to Nigeria is to work and bring the technical know-how of FAO to support the government, so as to help vulnerable sections of smallholder farmers.

He said: “The partnership will cover provision of technical support especially to vulnerable sections of smallholder farmers and help them build resilience of agriculture-based livelihoods to multiple shocks.   “We are bringing partners together to actually make a difference in the life of those downtrodden.”

On his part, FAO representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS Fred Kafeero said, the organisation in collaboration with partners have been working in strengthening resilience of crises affected populations in the north east to alleviate hunger and poverty in the region.

This continued support was aimed at making major contributions to recovery and resilience programmes, rebuilding agriculture on a sustainable basis.

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