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From Magnus Eze, Abuja
Director of Emergency and Rehabilitation Division of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) based in Rome, Mr. Dominique Burgeon, was in Nigeria recently to assess the state of agricultural needs of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) returnees and host communities with a pledge to review FAO’s assistance to Nigeria thus far.
He spoke on the food challenge in the troubled North-east region, insisting that concerted efforts must be geared towards farming to mitigate famine and increasing cases of malnutrition.
Excerpts:
Famine in the North-east
At the end of last year, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) issued a special alert on the situation in Borno State that confirmed the FEWS NET finding that famine had likely occurred between April and August in some IDPs’ areas and in nearby inaccessible areas of Borno State. It also concurred that there is an elevated likelihood that famine is ongoing and will persist in inaccessible areas assuming conditions remain the same. Finally, it concluded that humanitarian assistance has improved food security and may be preventing famine in various IDPs concentrations but sustained humanitarian access is critical in many areas. The most affected populations are those without humanitarian assistance in inaccessible areas and IDPs.
However, the lack of information in some areas means that we cannot absolutely confirm the occurrence of a famine, according to IPC guidelines.
Some 5.1 million people are facing IPC Phases 3-5 levels of food insecurity in the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe during the 2017 lean season. In Borno alone, the population in Phases 3 to 5 increased from two million in August 2016 to 3.3 million in October-December 2016 and are expected to reach 3.6 million in August 2017. Borno State is projected to be home to 96 per cent of the population (115,700 people) expected to face famine conditions (IPC Catastrophe), during the next lean season – with the remaining l5,600 people located in Yobe.
But the main factor contributing to the widespread food insecurity is the persistence of conflict, which has resulted in mass displacements. Severe food insecurity has also been driven by below-average crop production, disrupted livelihoods, and the financial crisis linked to the local currency depreciation in 65 per cent of the state’s population.
Curbing the situation
With more than 80 per cent of north eastern Nigeria’s rural population depending on crop or livestock farming, investing in agriculture now is critical to tackle the decay concerning food insecurity. We are approaching a critical period in the agricultural calendar. This is our main opportunity to tackle these truly staggering levels of food insecurity by helping at-risk families to produce their own food. Rainy season begins in May-June and farmers need to have seeds, fertilisers and tools in their hands by then so they can plant. If they miss this season, humanitarian costs are just going to keep rising and rising into 2018. Nutrition outcomes will worsen and this will affect today’s children for the rest of their lives.
Failure to intervene now with agricultural livelihoods support will have a broad negative impact – lack of economic and employment opportunities, and possible harmful consequences including increased rural to urban migration and youth radicalisation and enrolment in armed groups, resulting in continued civil unrest.
Pastoralists have almost been forgotten in the response to the crisis and urgently require support to protect and rebuild their herds. They need support to protect and rebuild their herds. Fisheries and vegetable production will be critical to enable displaced and returning populations to increase their food consumption and improve their nutrition.
What is FAO doing?
In 2017, FAO is asking for $62 million under the Humanitarian Response Plan for Nigeria. Of this, $20 million is urgently required to reach 1.9 million people during the upcoming main planting season starting in May 2017. Funds must be received by mid-March to enable FAO to get inputs to farmers in time for the season. Missing this season will mean increased food insecurity and, therefore, humanitarian costs will continue rising into 2018.
With the funding received in 2016, FAO enabled 146,000 people to produce their own cereals, vegetables and pulses during the rainy season. A further 174,400 people are currently being reached for the dry season with vegetable seed and irrigation support.
Challenges facing FAO
Our biggest challenge is funding. We know we can do more but we don’t have the resources to do it. The agriculture sector has been often overlooked during the Nigerian crisis. For example, this year we have identified 238,000 households to be provided with assistance during the rainy season. So far, we have just enough funding to reach about 47,000 households; less than one-fifth of those targeted. Insufficient support this year would likely mean rising hunger and greater dependence on expensive and logistically complex food assistance well into 2018.
IDPs access land for farming
Given that most of the IDPs were practising agriculture as their major source of livelihood prior to displacement, the issue of access to land is pre-eminent in this context. An assessment carried out by FAO in November 2016 indicates that through agreements facilitated by traditional authorities, IDPs communities are welcomed by host communities and are often given an area and a plot of land to cultivate. A lease may or may not be paid (in money or in kind). Hence, most IDPs in host communities have access to land and return to farming becomes top priority.
Additionally, the Site Assessment Questionnaire (IOM, December 2016) shows as well that about 76 per cent of IDPs have access to land.
Safety of returnees going back to the farms
As some areas previously held by Boko Haram become more accessible, hundreds of thousands of people previously inaccessible are now within reach of the government and humanitarian partners. Furthermore, IDPs are increasingly returning to their place of usual residence before the insurgency began. It will be the first real opportunity in years for farmers in the three states to be able to plant during the next rainy season and restart agricultural production for self-consumption and markets.
The risk of unexploded ordnance and mines has been often raised as a limiting factor to return to work in the field. FAO is looking at collaboration with MAG (Mine Action Group) and all food security sector partners to identify the actual risk and take preventive measures. It is, however, to be underlined that from preliminary information, this risk is limited and does not affect the ability to support the agricultural campaign. A risk education component will be added in FAO programming.
Work with government and local people in the region
Strong links are already established with national state partners like Borno State Agriculture Development Programme (ADP), Special Programme on Food Security (SPFS), FADAMA project (World Bank) and CBARDP (IFAD) and faith-based organisations. They are covering all safe and accessible local government areas and have key informants in the field who are precious source of information on accessibility and feasibility of our operations.
In line with the World Humanitarian Summit and the Grand Bargain commitments, FAO is looking more and more into localisation of the aid. In an effort to both assess and mitigate risks, an advisory mission is being carried out to use the Implementing Partners Due Diligence tools to identify strengths and weaknesses of national partners in order to identify needs to strengthen their capacity. It is therefore an opportunity to focus on local partners for the implementation of the rainy season agricultural campaign.
Handling IDPs that can’t return home or access plots of land
Given continued insecurity even in safe and accessible areas, FAO will work with local authorities to develop urban and peri-urban agriculture with specific cropping systems that will not harm the beneficiaries or add to new conflict situations. For example, through nutrition-focused micro-gardening, enhancing good practices in family poultry and small ruminant production to reduce the risk of economic losses affecting livelihoods, providing protection kits such as fuel-efficient stoves, solar lanterns, whistles, among others, and supporting livelihood diversification opportunities, with focus on added-value food processing small schemes.
