By Nicholas Dechi
The Benue government is partnering with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO) to develop a Climate-Resilient Livelihoods Strategy and Climate-Smart Agriculture Investment Framework for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
Speaking at an event in Makurdi, the FAO Nigeria representative, Dr Hussein Gadain, said that the aim of the programme was to promote durable solutions for IDPs’ vulnerable host communities in the state.
Gadain, represented by the climate change specialist Dr Nifesimi Ogunkua, disclosed that sustainable livelihoods were fundamental to achieving durable solutions for affected households.
He said that the ability of displaced families to produce food, generate income, access markets and productive resources, and rebuild economic independence was critical to restoring dignity and reducing prolonged dependence on humanitarian assistance.
He noted that the initiative was particularly important to Benue because agriculture remained central to the state’s economy and livelihoods, while displacement, climate variability, pressure on natural resources and other shocks continued to undermine the productive capacity of vulnerable communities.
According to Gadain, FAO’s intervention under the Internal Displacement Solutions Fund Joint Programme will focus on strengthening government capacity and developing climate-resilient livelihood pathways.
“The projects will pay particular attention to women, youths, persons with disabilities, IDPs and vulnerable host communities.”
He explained that the climate-resilient livelihoods strategy would identify economically viable, environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient livelihood opportunities.
“While the accompanying climate-smart agriculture investment framework will translate those priorities into concrete and investable actions capable of attracting public, private, development and climate financing.
“The process must be government-led and stakeholder-owned, and FAO and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) are providing technical support.
“The resulting strategy and investment framework must reflect the priorities and realities of Benue,” he said.
He, therefore, encouraged the participants to be committed, active and constructively engaged.
He urged them to share their experiences, challenge assumptions and identify practical opportunities that could help develop a framework that was realistic, implementable and owned by the people and institutions of the state.
Also speaking, the Director-General (DG), Bureau for International Cooperation and Development in the state, Mr Leo Viashima, said that durable solutions were multisectoral and required the commitment and collaboration of all partners to achieve meaningful results.
Viashima described durable solutions as long-term interventions designed to address emergencies arising from conflict and flooding across different geographical locations.
He said that improved security was already encouraging some displaced persons to return to their ancestral communities, citing Tatyough in Guma Local Government as an example.
He added that the state government had prioritised IDP farmers by ensuring that they received fertiliser and other agricultural inputs ahead of other farmers.
He further disclosed that the Solid Project was working towards returning about 900 displaced persons to their ancestral homes and supporting 1,000 cooperative societies as part of efforts to strengthen livelihoods and promote self-reliance.
The State Director-General, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Mr John Akuse, said that the FAO initiative introduced a new investment component into the state’s efforts to achieve durable solutions for displaced persons affected by conflict and flooding.
Akuse said that the programme was designed to galvanise support for displaced people by facilitating their resettlement in their ancestral communities.
He disclosed that the state governor had set aside 10 per cent of the annual budget for efforts aimed at returning IDPs to their homes.
He said all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the state should align their activities with the durable-solutions agenda.
He added that coordinated action was necessary to ensure that the return and reintegration of displaced communities translated into sustainable livelihoods and improved resilience. (NAN)