Nigeria’s Environment Minister Balarabe Abbas Lawal, says that Nigeria in partnership with the World Bank, is intensifying efforts to combat food insecurity and land degradation through the expansion of rainwater harvesting under the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes programme.
Speaking at a high-level retreat in Lagos, Lawal outlined plans to leverage rainwater harvesting to transform Nigeria’s agricultural landscape, particularly in the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja, where desertification and erratic rainfall threaten livelihoods.
“By capturing floodwater, we can support all-season farming, reduce dependence on rain-fed agriculture, and restore degraded forests,” Lawal said.
The World Bank’s ACReSAL task team leader, Joy Agene, disclosed that the $500m World Bank-funded ACReSAL initiative, launched in 2021, has already reclaimed 200,000 hectares of degraded land, nearly a fifth of its million-hectare target, boosting crop yields and community resilience.
She described the project’s first two years as “highly satisfactory”, citing innovations like the Halfmoon regenerative agriculture model in Adamawa and flood mitigation measures in Katsina and Kaduna.
She added that the programme aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises agricultural transformation to drive economic growth.
In his remarks, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sabi Abdullahi, said that ACReSAL was “laying the foundation for a climate-resilient Nigeria” by equipping communities with sustainable farming techniques and strengthening food systems across the north.
The ACReSAL project, coordinated by the ministries of environment, agriculture, and water resources alongside 19 state governors, integrates dryland management, community resilience, and institutional reforms.
According to local media reports, with over one million direct beneficiaries and plans to meet 60-70 per cent of its land restoration goal by 2026, the initiative signals Nigeria’s push to marry environmental sustainability with economic development.
GIK/APA