Bauchi State Project Management Unit (SPMU) of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi Arid Landscape(ACReSAL) has stepped down the training On Large Scale Land Restoration Techniques to key stakeholders drawn from various sectors related to land restoration across the state.
In an opening remark, the State project coordinator l, Dr Ibrahim Kabir said that the training was designed to equip the participants with the requisite knowledge and skills on large scale land restoration with the view to achieve the 20,000 hectares pledged by the State aligned with the targeted goal of the partnership recently entered by ACReSAL with food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to support in the restoration of 350,000 hectares of degraded lands in northern Nigeria.
The SPC added that one of the objectives of the workshop is for the participants to also step down to the relevant stakeholders at the local governments and down to the communities who are the key actors in the field.
Welcoming the participants, the Commissioner, Ministry of Housing and Environment, who is also the Chairman, State Steering Committee of the project, Rt Hon Danlami Ahmed Kawule expressed delight with the turn out of the participants.
He called on them to be attentive and contribute positively during the interactions to achieve the target objectives of the training.
The Co- Chairman, Commissioner, Ministry of Water Resources, Abdulrazaq Nuhu Zaki, also used the forum and called on the participants to tap from the potentials of the workshop.
He pledged to continue supporting ACReSAL project succeed in its implementation drive.
During the training, three papers were presented: Overview of ACReSAL in Bauchi State, by the SPC Dr Ibrahim Kabir, Land Degradation in Bauchi State, the Need for Action, by the Project Forestry Officer Nasiru Abdu Umar and Modern Techniques on Large Scale Land Restoration by Professor Ahmed Sabo of the Savannah Institute for Sustainable Development, a Focal NGO of the project.
The project Coordinator informed the participants about ACReSAL and its areas of operations, its integrated approach of coming together of the three sectors of Environment, Agriculture and Water Resources, four components of the project as well as the success stories and way forward.
In his presentation, the forestry officer Nasiru Abdu Umar discussed land degradation, and it’s impacts on the lands such as reduction of Agricultural productivity, loss of biodiversity, water scarcity, climate change impacts, Economic losses as well as social and cultural consequences.
He called on the participants to step down the training to the communities and embarked on massive afforestation activities to achieve the target objectives.
Professor Ahmad Sabo of the Savannah Institute for Sustainable Development makes a presentation on the modern techniques on large scale land restoration where he gave much emphasis on the use of machinery, like Dolphino plough and it’s effectiveness in degraded restoration as well as the importance of direct sowing among others.
The Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries of the line Ministries and their Directors, SSA on ACReSAL, DG BASEPA, the SPMU officers and Focal NGOs attended the training.
Other participants included the Local government Directors of Agriculture, Forestry and Sectionals Heads of water resources of the twenty local government areas of the state, Agric extension workers, Community Business Agents and members of the press among others.
Highlight of the training are the presentation of the PAD and PIM to the new Commissioners, Perm Secs. the SSA ACReSAL , where the SSA ACReSAL Alhaji Adamu Abubakar Barde assured the Governor’s commitment in bringing more developmental projects to the state.
