The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has given a breakdown of its five-year strategic Programming Framework for Nigeria (CPF), spanning between 2018 and 2022.
Suffyan Koroma, FAO Country Representative in Nigeria, said in a press statement in Abuja on Tuesday, May 14, 2019 that the framework was to assist Federal Government develop its agriculture sector.
He listed some priority areas which included: strengthening national food and nutrition security through enhanced nutrition sensitive and climate-smart food systems.
Others are supporting appropriate and operationally effective agricultural policy and regulatory frameworks, supporting Nigeria’s Economic Diversification Agenda and the promotion of decent employment for youth and women in the agriculture value chains.
It also included improving the efficient and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystems and enhancing disaster risk reduction, resilience building and emergency management towards strengthening the Humanitarian-Development Nexus.
Koroma also said the framework would ensure efficient management of the country’s natural resources.
He also spelt out a set of medium-term support objectives and results as approved by the FAO’s Regional Office for Africa (RAF).
He said the areas of action were defined in consultation with government ministries, agencies and departments, as well as related stakeholders from academia, civil society organisations (CSOs) and private sector.
Koroma said FAO also considered the humanitarian needs of Nigeria, as contained in various development strategies the government had put in place.
He said they included the Agriculture Promotion Plan (APP) and President Mohammadu Buhari’s Plan for humanitarian relief and socioeconomic stabilisation of the Northeast.
He said that, during the five-year period, FAO would bring together innovative, international best practices and global standards with national and international expertise.
Koroma said the current document built on the achievements of the previous programming cycle from 2013 to 2017, considering the emerging challenges of climate change, armed conflict and rising food prices.
“The CPF seeks to address the myriad of challenges involved in the rapid development of the agriculture sector.
“This document will guide FAO and its partners in ensuring the agriculture sector can address domestic needs, generate jobs and meets export standards, with the aim to grow the economy,’’ he said.
By Hawa Lawal
