AGRO-CLIMATIC RESILIENCE IN SEMI-ARID LANDSCAPES (ACRESAL) ADAMAWA PROJECT

AGRO-CLIMATIC RESILIENCE IN SEMI-ARID LANDSCAPES

(ACRESAL)

ADAMAWA PROJECT.

INTRODUCTION – WHAT IS ACRESAL, WHY WAS IT CONCEIVED/WHAT DOES IT AIM TO ACHIEVE?

PROJECT OBJECTIVE STRUCTURE & COMPONENTS

THE ACReSAL PROJECT IN ADAMAWA STATE

THE RECODE PROJECT & ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH ACRESAL

WHERE WE ARE TODAY

“Imagine if trees gave off wifi signals, we would be planting so many trees and we’d probably save the planet too.

Too bad, they only produce the oxygen we breathe”

“Anyone who can solve the problems of water will be worthy of two Nobel prizes – one for peace and one for science.”

-John F. Kennedy

“Environment is no one’s property to destroy, but anyone’s interest to protect”

– Mohith Agadi

INTRODUCTION

The Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project is a project that was framed to address some of the critical environmental challenges in Northern Nigeria.

Funded by a $700m credit from the World Bank Group, has a GCC funding and has a three-layer structure in the federal, states and local levels.

The project has a duration of 6 years

• AGRO: Agriculture
• CLIMATIC: Issues with the climate change
• RESILIENCE
• SEMI-ARID LANDSCAPES: Dry regions with slightly more rain than arid regions/areas.

GEOGRAPHICAL

Environmental fragility, poor agricultural productivity, desertification, high susceptibility to climate risks, degrading natural resources, low precipitation, etc.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC

High poverty rates, low literacy rates, poor penetration of technology, etc.

ACReSAL REMEDY/SOLUTION

• Addressing these issues will require effort in multiple sectors.
• In the heart of what the project aims to achieve are; environment, water and agriculture.
• Nexus between the sectors and poverty: environment – water resources – agriculture – worsened livelihoods / resilience / living conditions / growth

The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to increase the implementation of sustainable landscape management practices in targeted watersheds in northern Nigeria and strengthen Nigeria’s long-term enabling environment for integrated climate-resilient landscape management.

• The ACReSAL project is managed by three key ministries but housed and chaired by the MoEnv.
• Implemented in 19+1 nationally & around identified Water Sheds in the State.
• Steering Committee
• Technical Committee
• Federal Project Management Unit(FPMU) at the federal and State Project Management Units (SPMU) at the States level.

PROJECT OBJECTIVE STRUCTURE & COMPONENTS:

• Dryland Management
• Community Resilience
• Institutional Strengthening & Project Management
• Contingency Emergency Response

The project is set to achieve the following and more under the various components:

DRYLAND MANAGEMENT:

• Restoration/Reclamation of orchards across the state
• Rehabilitation of Tree nurseries in LGAs
• Engineering design & Constructions of Market access roads
• Design & Constructions of Earth dams
• Remediation of active gully erosion sites
• Feasibility studies for the development of 20 hectares of oil palm plantations in Toungo & Ganye LGAs

COMMUNITY CLIMATE RESILIENCE:

• Provision of solar powered boreholes spread across the state
• Development of community fish ponds
• Procurement & distribution of farm inputs, water pumps, and improved seeds to farmers across the state
• Training on GBV & GRM & conflict management in project sites
• Sensitization and advocacy programmes for the project implementation communities in all project sites

INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING & PROJECT MANAGEMENT

• Development of Baseline studies and M&E data for all project sites
• Support to ministries of water resources, and Environment for harmonization of existing policies and Laws
• Development of Environmental Safety Management Plan (ESMP) & Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) for all project sites

INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING & PROJECT MANAGEMENT (CONT’D)

• Establishment of meteorological /weather station gardens
• Formation of Community intrest groups (CIGs) and capacity building on ACReSAL
• iDevelopment of catchment management plan for 10 micro watersheds in the State
• Upgrading/establishments of ICT facilities to implementing ministries

CONTINGENCY EMERGENCY RESPONSE COMPONENT (CERC)

This component could be used as a necessary tool to provide immediate support to an eligible crisis or emergency.

WHERE WE ARE TODAY?

• The State has made all preparations for the successful implementation of the project
• Steering and technical committees have been inaugurated by the state Governor
• The SPMU has been formed
• The state has its work plan and revised work plan approved by the bank

• The governor has made N500m available as counterpart funding for the project
• The state already has its procurement plan cleared by the bank and waiting for the disbursement of finance from the bank to commence full implementation.

ACReSAL is a World Bank funded Project conceived by the advice of the Nigerian Northern Governors Forum NNGF on the premise earlier stated; abiding environmental factors with its attendant effects on the water carrying/holding capacity of the land, its resulting influence on the agricultural productivity and its overall impact on climate change adaptation and livelihood support of/in semi-arid regions which are the northern states in Nigeria.

Owing to the multifaceted and complex nature of the problem to be addressed, the project has a multisectoral approach covering the agriculture, water resources and environmental ministries.

The ACReSAL project aligns with the Federal Government of Nigeria in restoring about one million ha degraded land out of the 4 million ha targets set for broader landscape restoration by 2030.

The project is implemented in Adamwa state as part of the semi-arid states of the federation by a project management team and supervised by the ministry of Environment.

All needed preparations have been made; work & procurement plans approved by the Bank, staff cleared with No Objections etc, we await funding from the Bank to start implementation

CHALLENGES

• The prognosis of the situation shows that more resources is needed to combat the issues as the problem is huge.
• Sustainability post project to ensure that the gains won’t be reversed.