Save Nutrients from being Wasted- Stakeholders Appeal to Nasarawa State Govt. on Tree Planting Intervention against Climate Change and for Food Security

To tackle the urgent issue of climate change and its devastating effect on food security, more than 180 stakeholders from University-led Research Supporting African led by PUFEND and Policy Support for Economic Growth (PSEG) are urging Nasarawa State Government to embark vigorous tree planting in order to salvaged affected lives. The call to action was made during the Interstate Agricultural Policy Dialogue Series in Session 5 at Lafia, Nasarawa State.

At the Interstate Agricultural Policy Dialogue Series Session 5 in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, Dr. Mulubrhan Amare, a Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington DC, explained the program’s goals of achieving food security, safety, and improved nutritional outcomes in Nigeria. The event, titled ‘Climate Change, Income Sources, Crop Mix, and Input Use Decisions: Evidence from Nigeria,’ facilitated discussions among stakeholders to identify common solutions to climate change challenges affecting agriculture.

Dr. Amare stated, “Today, we examined the impact of climate change on agricultural production, noting that temperature changes and other factors are adversely affecting agricultural outputs and inputs in Nigeria.”

He presented four key recommendations to the government and stakeholders: promoting climate-smart agriculture, increasing access to inputs, developing the livestock sector, and targeting climate change interventions.

Professor Oyinkan Tasie from Michigan State University, the event moderator, highlighted that the dialogue involved 180 participants and focused on six states: Nasarawa, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau, Zamfara, and Sokoto. He emphasized, “This policy dialogue, driven by research, addressed climate change’s impact on agricultural income sources in Nigeria. We are optimistic about achieving our objectives to mitigate climate change’s effects on food production.”

Nasarawa State Head of Service, Abigail Waya, welcomed dignitaries and praised RSM2SNF and PSEG’s dedication to enhancing food production and supporting agricultural initiatives in the state. She reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to partnering with organizations tackling climate change issues.

Participant Usman Yakubu Dodo commended RSM2SNF and PSEG for organizing the program and vowed to apply the knowledge gained to combat climate change’s negative effects in Nasarawa.