Insurgency: 140,000 households with livelihood support in Borno

Insurgency: 140,000 households with livelihood support in Borno

By: Our Reporter

Over 140 000 conflict-affected smallholder farmers’ households in Borno State have been provided with the means to restore their livelihoods through sustainable agriculture.

The support was given under the European Union-funded ‘Restoring and Promoting Sustainable Agriculture-Based Livelihoods for Food Security, Employment and Nutrition Improvement in Borno State.

Prior to the outbreak of the Boko Haram conflict in 2009, livelihoods in rural communities in the Borno State were centered on subsistence farming including, pastoralism, backyard poultry production, fishery, and crop production. 

As a result of the conflict, many smallholder farmers lost their agricultural   assets and this resulted in high rates of youth unemployment, food shortages, malnutrition, increased poverty and gender-based violence, among others.

A project, which is implemented jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UN Women and World Food Programme (WFP) in collaboration with Borno State, was introduced in 2018 to support the building of lasting peace and sustainable development to smallholder farmers following the effects of over a decade-long armed conflict.

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The three years of the project’s implementation has witnessed positive transformation of the conflict-affected livelihoods through improved crop production, livestock restocking, agri-business development, safe access to fuel and energy, irrigation, among others. 

The project has been very instrumental in making a lasting change in people’s lives by sustainably rebuilding their livelihoods. It provided an important impetus to the Borno State Government’s efforts for rebuilding the economy through sustainable livelihoods.

It was designed to deliver three key result areas namely; enhancing skills and knowledge of smallholder farmers on good agricultural, nutrition, and gender practices; providing smallholder farmers with inputs to diversify their sources of food and income; and creating opportunities for markets and business development.

Speaking at an event in Maiduguri to celebrate the success of the project, County Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Mr Fred Kafeero said the three United Nations agencies have jointly worked together to implement the programme. 

He explained that the entire project has transformed the lives of thousands of people in the state through crop production, livestock restocking, agribusiness development, safe access to fuel and energy, irrigation among others. 

He said: “Its suffice to say that this project has been very instrumental in making lasting change in people’s lives by sustainably rebuilding livelihoods and providing an important foundation to the Borno state government efforts for rebuilding the economy through sustainable livelihood.”

UN Women Country Representative, Ms Comfort Lamptey and that of the World Food Programme, Mr Ronald Sibanda represented by Head of Maiduguri office Bernard Owadi observed that the project has touched lives of victims of insurgency as WFP alone has injected over 2.5 billion naira in the last three years in Borno state.

They however noted that restoration of livelihoods in returning communities is still huge.

Borno state Governor Babagana Zulum represented by his Deputy Umar Kadafur explained that the state has immensely benefited from the project as it has enhanced food security and nutrition of nursing mothers and pregnant women as well as created job opportunities for the youths.

He called on other development partners to take over from where the United Nations agencies stopped.

“This is because our people are in need of assistance and support as most of them have returned to their communities to continue with their livelihood, ” Kadafur stressed.

The event featured an exhibition of food, livestock and other items produced by the beneficiaries.

Insurgency: 140,000 households with livelihood support in Borno