Katsina State Government yesterday launched $1 million food security project aimed at strengthening the resilience of vulnerable farming communities against recurring challenges of flood and drought.
The project, titled: ‘Protecting Food Security Against Recurring Floods and Drought’, was organised by Katsina State Development Management Board (KTDMB), in collaboration with the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, with support from development partners and implementation by Mercy Corps Nigeria.
Speaking at the launch in Katsina, Governor Dikko Radda described climate change as a reality that required collective action and practical interventions, saying protecting the environment and agricultural production was essential to improving food security, livelihood and the economic well-being of the people.
He said: ‘Climate change is a reality. We have no way to hide from it, and we must confront it with all the capacity and ability so that together we can fight it.
”Katsina is an agrarian state, whose people depend heavily on agriculture for their livelihood, making interventions that protect land and water resources, improve agricultural productivity and strengthen food systems particularly important.
”Anything that will protect our environment, improve and enable us to produce more, feed more and generate more income is something that all of us need to work towards.’
Radda assured the development partners of the state government’s continued cooperation and support, while urging the benefiting local governments to provide maximum cooperation to ensure the intervention achieves its intended objectives.
He directed the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning and KTDMB to ensure effective coordination among the relevant ministries, departments and agencies involved in the project, as well as strong synergy between the development partners and the three beneficiary local governments.
He directed the Ministry of Environment and the Department of Climate Change to study the intervention and assess the possibility of scaling up similar climate-resilience initiatives to other local government areas across the state.
He said: ”Our aim is for every local government in the state to benefit from this laudable initiative.’
The Executive Secretary of Katsina State Development Management Board, Dr. Mustapha Shehu, said the project was funded with $1 million for one year and would initially be implemented in Bindawa, Bakori and Kafur local governments, which were selected based on available data and identified vulnerabilities.
He said baseline assessments were already being conducted across the three beneficiary local governments to establish benchmarks and generate data that could guide the possible expansion of the intervention beyond the initial locations.
The executive secretary further recalled previous development interventions implemented in Katsina through partnerships with organisations, including Mercy Corps, noting that such collaborations had contributed to strengthening community resilience, peace and social cohesion.
The Programme Manager of Mercy Corps Nigeria, Mr. Philip Ikita, said the intervention was designed in response to several challenges affecting vulnerable farming communities, including recurring floods and droughts, soil erosion, poor storage facilities, post-harvest losses, poverty, limited drainage and inadequate water management.
He added that at least 12 solar-powered water systems would be rehabilitated to support livestock and farming communities, particularly during the dry season, while water committees and technicians would also be trained.
Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Malik Anas, hailed Mercy Corps Nigeria and KTDMB for the intervention, describing it as a timely initiative aimed at strengthening the resilience of vulnerable farming communities to climate-related shocks.
Anas said the project would contribute to improving food security and livelihoods by strengthening the capacity of communities to withstand the effects of floods and drought.
The commissioner stressed the importance of effective grassroots monitoring, urging project personnel and relevant stakeholders to maintain a strong presence in the benefiting local governments and ensure proper reporting of activities and outcomes.