FAO: Food insecurity might affect 4.1 million people in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) has said that about 4.1 million people in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states will be at the risk acute food insecurity in July, this year.

While speaking, yesterday, in Girei Local Council, during the distribution of assorted grains to farmers for this year’s farming season, the FAO Field Officer Coordinator in Adamawa State, Alhaji Abdullahi Abubakar, said the grains distribution would assist farmers with modern seedlings to boost food production.

“Recall that the Cadre Harmonise (CH) findings projected that by July 2022, about 4.1 million persons would be at risk of food insecurity in the three states, enmeshed in armed insurgency since 2009.

“The support by FAO targets to help affected households to mitigate the escalation of food insecurity, while at the same time build resilience of the returnees in the settled communities,” he stated.

Abubakar said the FAO has been supporting farmers affected by the protracted crisis in the Northeast, particularly in the states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe since 2016, with farm inputs to enable those with access to land continue with agriculture production during the rainy and dry seasons.

He said the objective of the programme was to support the displaced populations with food to eat as well as help rebuild the livelihoods distorted by the crisis.

He said the programme was supported by donor agencies and partners from different parts of the world, adding that this year’s rainy season intervention was supported by eight donor agencies and targeted vulnerable populations in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

He disclosed FAO had extended the support to more states, including Taraba and Sokoto, where farming communities were displaced by violent attacks in recent years.

“In Adamawa, 8,290 vulnerable households with access to land across five local councils of Michika, Madagali, Girei, Fufore, and Yola South are to be supported with quality seeds of maize, cowpea, ground nut, sesame, okra and amaranth, plus wet blended NPK fertiliser, 15:15:15,” he said.

He urged the beneficiaries to utilise the farming inputs for the purpose they are meant for, noting that FAO would keep track on all the beneficiaries to see the progress made and the impact of the intervention given them.

A beneficiary, Alhaji Musa Umar, commended FAO for the support. He warned that any beneficiary that diverted the grains for another purpose would face wrath of the community.