The Kwara Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (KWACReSAL) says it has recorded significant progress in its ongoing land restoration interventions across communities in the state.
According to the agency’s spokesperson, Okanlawon Taiwo, an inspection tour to project sites showed encouraging results, with many seedlings sprouting, while also identifying areas requiring improvement.
The inspection team, which included representatives of the Focal NGO (FoNGO), supervised the planting of additional seedlings to expand the restoration to more hectares of land. Communities visited include Shonga in Edu Local Government, Gidan Magajiya in Baruten, and Kaiama in Kaiama Local Government Area.
KWACReSAL, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), has set a target to restore 10,000 hectares of degraded land across selected communities in Kwara. The project is expected to boost soil fertility, improve water retention, strengthen food security, promote biodiversity, and mitigate the impact of climate change.
Kwara ACReSAL FAO Desk Officer, Ms. Lola Ajayi, expressed satisfaction with the progress so far.
“Most of the seedlings planted about a month ago are doing well. The training conducted by FAO in July 2025 on land restoration techniques was timely, and we have cascaded the lessons down to communities with good results so far,” she said.
During the visit, the KWACReSAL team urged communities to take ownership of the initiative, stressing its long-term benefits for food security and climate change mitigation.
Natural Resources Officer, Mallam Hussein Salihu, cautioned against indiscriminate tree felling, noting that trees are vital to environmental sustainability.
Other team members on the visits included Social Livelihood Officer, Mr. Adebayo Sanni, and Agric Officer, Mrs. Khadijat Oke.
At Gidan Magajiya, the Fulani community leader, Mallam Abubakar Gidado, praised Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, KWACReSAL, and FAO for what he described as “huge development” in the area. He pledged to mobilize his community to safeguard the project.
