The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in partnership with the Borno State Government and other key stakeholders, has validated a climate-smart agriculture strategies to strengthen farmers’ resilience and livelihoods in the state from 2026-2030.

The high-level validation meeting, which attracted government officials, development partners, academia and other stakeholders, is part of efforts to update earlier climate-smart agriculture frameworks in response to changing environmental, humanitarian and socio-economic conditions of the peoplein Borno.state.

Speaking at the validation meeting in Maiduguri, the state capital, FAO’s Natural Resource and Energy Safety Specialist, Yakaka Maina, said: “The exercise was the second series of activities that began in July to identify and validate priority areas for climate-smart agriculture.”

Yakaka said the strategy would provide a framework for strengthening climate resilience in the state, particularly among communities affected by displacement, climate change and changing livelihoods of thousands of farmers.

The Specialist added that the UN agency had earlier supported the development of climate-smart agricultural documents covering 2020 to 2023, noting that significant changes had occurred since then, including the increased climate shocks, displacement, return of communities and the closure of more than 20 internally displaced persons’ camps.

She explained that the new strategy seeks to address the needs of host communities, internally displaced persons and returnees, while linking identified agricultural priorities to durable solutions.

Yakaka disclosed that farmers identified drought and erratic rainfall as some of the major climate shocks affecting agricultural production in Borno

The GAO specialist said measures such as access to drought-resistant seeds, improved farming techniques and training would be important in strengthening farmers’ resilience and increasing food production.

yakaka added that the exercise would also include cost-benefit analysis of identified priority areas to develop investment planning options for government, private investors and development partners.

The FAO specialist further said, the assessment would cover agricultural value chains beyond crop production, including non-timber forest products such as neem, with attention to their medicinal and commercial potential.

Dr Ibrahim Aliyu of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) said the validation was necessary because significant gaps had emerged since the previous framework was developed between 2019 and 2021.
said changes in costs, displacement, livelihoods and areas previously excluded from the framework had created the need for a comprehensive review involving government institutions, academia, security agencies and other stakeholders.

He described the initiative as an opportunity to identify viable investment opportunities that could improve livelihoods and contribute to Borno’s development.

He, however, identified implementation as a major challenge, stressing the need for effective monitoring and evaluation.

He said close monitoring, regular reporting and coordination between the state government and development partners would help track projects and ensure effective implementation of the strategy.