The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has reiterated its commitment to strengthen the agricultural response to climate change in North East through promoting the Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) programme.

Mr Nourou Macki, the Deputy FAO Representative in Nigeria, said this in his statement at the just concluded validation workshop on the programme in Yola.

Macki said CSA approach in North East targeted the conflict-affected states: Adamawa, Borno and Yobe and was being handled by FAO in collaboration with regional Ministries of Agriculture and Environment in the affected states.

According to him, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is also among the organsations in such collaborative effort.

He noted that climate change had adversely affected food production in the Sahel and promoting conflicts in the area, adding that FAO was committed to CSA, to address conflicts related to climate change.

“The development of the CSA profiles for the three states is a step in up scaling FAO’s CSA activities in North East Nigeria. The ultimate aim is to reach the majority of subsistence farmers to make their livelihood more sustainable in the face of climate change,” Macki said.

Iyabo Mustapha, the Chief Land Resource Officer, who represented the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at the workshop, described the programme as timely, adding that it would enjoy the full support of government to succeed.

“The continued dialogue between the government and FAO is therefore of high importance and will maximise the outcome of CSA interventions,” Mustapha said.

Prof. Daniel Gwary, the CSA Consultant for Yobe and his counterpart for Adamawa, Dr Adam Lawan, said the programme would among others, increase agricultural productivity of climate-change and conflict-affected households.

They also said that it would support adaptation to climate change and mitigate the emission of Greenhouse Gases. (NAN)