• Plans ecotourism centre with 200-year-old relic forest

Towards fulfilling its memorandum of understanding with the Abia State Ministry of Environment and Urban Renewal to conserve the state’s forest reserves, the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State has begun a partnership agreement with seven communities to protect biodiversity and imbibe Green Forest Farming (GFF).

The university has also prioritised the protection of the environment and its natural resources in all agricultural and development initiatives. It plans to make the 200-year-old relic forest an ecotourism centre.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof Maduebibisi Iwe, disclosed this during a workshop on ‘Halting Biodiversity Loss and Enhancing Sustainable Livelihood through Green Forest Farming’ organised by the College of Natural Resources and Environmental Management in collaboration with Queen Mary University of London.

The event chaired by Prof Edem Eniang of the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State attracted communities and other stakeholders.

He said the relic forest is the university’s prized environmental assets that have been protected from human encroachments and the impact from natural hazards such as flood.

While assuring partners on its commitment to conserve and protect the integrity of the relic forest, he charged the college and Department of Forestry and Environmental Management to ensure the dream of making the forest reserve an ecotourism site becomes a reality.

Iwe, who lauded the communities – Amaoba, Olokoro, Ndoro-Oboro, Ubani, Aro-Ajatakiri, Nkalunta and Lodu Emenyi for volunteering to learn the art GFF, said the project aligns with the pursuit of the university to ensure self-sufficiency in food produced locally and increase financial returns to farmers, while protecting biodiversity and the environment.

He expressed appreciation to Queen Mary University of London for approving the partnership through their institutional support grant and funding through the Official Development Assistance – International Science Partnerships Funds (ODA-ISPF) and commended Dr Emmanuel Nwankwo for initiating the project as part of his postdoctoral fellowship.

The vice chancellor noted that over three decades, the university has been striving to be one of the leading higher institutions in agriculture by providing a knowledge base for achieving food security and revolutionising agriculture through training, extensive and quality research at all levels of learning.

Abia State Commissioner for Environment, Philemon Ogbonna, said urbanisation and other competing land uses have placed the onus on stakeholders to proffer agro forestry and other viable alternatives to the rising demand for land. According to him, the alternatives should be driven through advocacy to local councils and farmers.

Ogbonna, represented by the Director, Climate Change, Chris Ike, said the ministry plans to introduce clean cooking stoves to reduce gas emissions, reduce communal dependency on forests for fuel wood, increase carbon footprints and earn carbon credits for the state.

“We are also encouraging the use of solar, wind and other renewable energy sources as part of our energy transition plans. We are deliberate and scientifically intentional in the programme designs we drive as they are geared towards greening our environment and bequeathing a sustainable environment for our children,” he added.

Speaking on ‘Climate Change Adaptation and GFF,’ Prof Emmanuel Nzegbule, disclosed that GFF is an ecosystem-based farming, which produces food sufficiently and allows forest and wildlife to be in harmony.

He said: “It is also regenerative farming approach that allows growing of our common arable crops with economic trees to yield more household income, conserve biodiversity, conserve soil and water, and produce other forest product.

”It is win-win farming that eliminates risk of total crop failure, reduces farm labour, fertiliser usage, conserves the soil and water resources, over sort of agricultural insurance, and preserves our farming heritage and culture.”

Nwankwo stated that GFF supports the adoption and scaling of forest farming, an innovative and sustainable land use system that enhances the productivity and resilience of forest ecosystems and the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities.

According to the principal investigator, forest farming cultivates high-value forest crops, generating income, supports food and nutritional security, as well as attracts health benefits for rural households, while conserving biodiversity, carbon, and water resources.