The Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project has distributed 6,220 bags of drought-resistant seeds to farmers in Gombe State as part of efforts to strengthen climate-resilient agriculture.
The distribution was flagged off at the opening of a five-day stakeholders’ engagement convened by ACReSAL’s Federal Project Management Unit (FPMU) in Gombe.
Stakeholders from six North-East states and Plateau in the North-Central launched a joint initiative to protect the Gongola, Gali-Lamurde, and Hawal-Kilunga River Basins, which face mounting threats from climate change and unsustainable land use.
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ACReSAL’s National Project Coordinator, Dr. Abdulhamid Umar, said the engagement was designed to develop strategic catchment management plans for the three basins.
He said the plans are being developed from the grassroots to reflect local realities and deliberately prioritise community participation.
Gombe State Commissioner for Water, Environment and Forest Resources, Mohammed Saidu Fawu, described the initiative as a coordinated effort to protect water resources threatened by climate variability, deforestation, overgrazing, and unsustainable farming practices.
He noted that the catchment plans will cover Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe, and Borno states, with the objectives of promoting sustainable water use, strengthening institutional capacity, and unlocking climate finance for conservation and restoration.