The Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON) and the Gombe State Budget Committee Group have issued warnings about the threat of climate change to food security, urging the government to promote climate-resilient sustainable agriculture practices.
On Friday, Mrs. Airudia Mamman, SWOFON Gombe State Coordinator, disclosed this while presenting observations and recommendations for the 2024 agriculture budget. She emphasized the need for the government to embrace agroecology, explaining that this approach would not only boost productivity but also help achieve food security in the state.
The presentation was supported by the Hope Foundation for the Lonely and ActionAid Nigeria.
“With increasing climatic changes, such as global warming and floods, and their adverse effects on agricultural yields, along with the insecurity resulting from food shortages, there is a need for climate-resilient/agroecological practices and technology for sustainable food production to mitigate climate change,” Mamman stated. “These practices include improved soil and land management, crop production interventions, organic manures, and pesticides.”
Mamman also lamented a critical gap in the 2024 budget: the lack of provisions for Climate Resilient Sustainable Agriculture. She noted that this omission has persisted for years, despite continuous advocacy efforts by the Budget Committee urging the government to adopt climate-resilient sustainable agricultural practices in response to global climate change.
“The situation has remained unchanged for years, despite advocacy by the Budget Committee for the government to adopt climate-resilient sustainable agriculture due to global climatic changes,” she said.
