Nature-based solutions: Advancing innovative local practices for ecosystems restoration in Nigeria
By: John Agboola
Tags: Restoration, Nature Based Solutions, Food Systems, Ecosystem, Landscape

Restoring ecosystems at farm-level (Source: Ecosystem Restoration Camp)

Already the most populous country in Africa, Nigeria’s population is projected to rise at an annual rate of 2.6% over the next few decades, doubling its population to 400 million by 2060, and making it the third most highly populated country in the world. Such a dramatic increase, particularly in the commercial capital, Lagos, raises concerns about the inevitable strain on food systems, the impacts of a burgeoning population on carbon emissions, and added pressure on basic services such as energy, and water and sanitation systems. Accelerated climate change is also expected to contribute to more frequent floods, drought and heatwaves, even as the conversion of forest for agriculture, urbanisation, and other land-use changes, contribute to biodiversity loss and water contamination, further weakening the resilience of Nigeria’s ecological zones.

These demographic and land-use trends raise at least two vital questions: how can the country adapt to the consequences of climate change while protecting its ecosystems; and how can it do so while guaranteeing food security and livelihoods for all citizens?

Local initiatives as a first step in restoring ecosystems

Both local and global actions are needed to drive climate change adaptation and mitigation. Among policy responses introduced by the government is a national policy on climate change. Diverse initiatives are also underway to combat deforestation and land degradation, and introduce more sustainable production and consumption practices in high-emission sectors such as agriculture and energy. But for long term sustainability, actions at farm and community level, as well as by individual citizens, are a critical first step.

A farmer in Niger tends to his nursery (Source: David Rose/Panos Pictures)

Agroforestry and sustainable land management practices

Since 2016, the One Billion Trees for Africa, a restoration movement led by Tabi Joda, an agroforester and eco-entrepreneur, has planted over 7,000 cashew trees in 18 communities in Central and West Africa. The cashew tree is especially suitable for ecosystem restoration projects because it grows from seed to fruiting in a short 25 months, meaning that it is able to quickly capture carbon and restore degraded lands. At the same time, the trees can serve as a source of livelihoods and income for local communities. It is also a multipurpose tree crop, from which almost all parts including roots, stem, bark, leaves and nuts are used. Joda is also an ambassador for the Great Green Wall initiative, a regional programme to create an 8,000 kilometre green belt across the Sahel region. He considers his initiative to be a local solution to a global problem. “When our communities are facing impacts of climate change, land degradation, and food insecurity,” he explains, “we must take sustainable actions and have our boots on the ground to leverage on nature-based solutions to rehabilitate forest landscapes.”

Oluwatosin Ogunsola, is a young agricultural entrepreneur and youth ambassador for the Global Landscapes Forum. He employs regenerative agricultural practices such as mulching and inter-cropping techniques to reduce soil degradation on his fruit and vegetable fields. He also grows tree crops at the edge rows of his farm to create a better micro-climate through restricting strong winds, preventing soil erosion, and conserving moisture and biodiversity. He emphasises the importance of such “climate-smart” agricultural practices “for a shared existence of humans with nature.”

Raising agricultural productivity while promoting sustainable water use

The vast majority of Nigerian smallholder farmers practice rainfed agriculture, which not only increases their vulnerability to climate change, but has a negative impact on productivity. Kenneth Okonkwo, Founder of IrriTech, an irrigation services provider, explains the value of smart irrigation technologies to improve the efficiency of small-scale agriculture. “Currently, 80% of smallholders do not farm their land during the dry season,” he states. His company promotes solar-powered irrigation pumps to allow small-scale farmers to reduce fuel consumption while giving them access to water to produce food all seasons.

Such solutions introduce new problems, however. Because of the abundance and reliability of solar power, many farms overuse the pumps, Kenneth explains, allowing the irrigation system to run for up to 3 hours instead of the recommended 30 minutes. Excessive water withdrawals can lower the water table and further exacerbate the impacts of drought in the long term.m“To better manage water risks, we sensitise and trained our farmers free of charge to strengthen their food production and resilience to climate change,” Kenneth says.

As well as training in the appropriate management of water resources, farmers can reduce their vulnerability to drought in other ways. Oladosu Adenike, a Nigerian climate justice activist, argues that small-scale farmers need to be supported to plant more drought-resistant crops and trees to address climate change. At the same time, more research on flood-resistant trees would help farmers manage the extreme floods that can occur when heavy rains fall on landscapes without adequate vegetation cover, a problem that displaces many farming households in Northern Nigeria. “Many farmers have been displaced from their farming activities largely due to drought, floods, land degradation and terrorism attacks,” she explains. “Ecosystem restoration can help achieve food security.”

Reducing and reusing farm waste

As in other parts of the world, food waste is a growing problem in Nigeria. Many losses occur after harvest, when crops may spoil before being sold, as a consequence of the poor road network and inadequate storage and processing facilities. Innovative smart practices such as Ecotutu, a Nigeria-based technology startup, is helping to reduce post-harvest losses and address the prevailing climate change challenges through cold value chain technology using the internet of things (IoT) and renewable energy. The Ecotutu technology is enabling food producers (open field or greenhouse producers), aggregators and retailers to refrigerate their food products, eliminating the risk of freeze damage to foods and empowering farmers to remain in business.

Other agricultural waste can be used to protect the environment, improve soil health, and conserve biodiversity; for example by cover cropping and burying crop residues into the soil. In recent years, compost formulation from food waste has become more widely practiced locally. Eleven-Eleven-Twelve Foundation, an independent private NGO based in Oyo state, southwest region of Nigeria, collects organic wastes from households and local markets through a partnership with a waste management company and subsequently commences the composting cycle which lasts for a period of three months. The organic compost is distributed to female vegetable farmers, which helps them enhance their livelihood, while reducing their usage of chemical fertilisers.

Jenneh Areola, Research and Development Office, Eleven-Eleven-Twelve Foundation, notes the multiple benefits of this recycling initiative. It not only helps reuse organic waste, which currently makes up over 50% of waste generated in Oyo state, but helps avert methane emissions from dumpsites while promoting more sustainable agricultural practices.

Emerging lessons from these and other on-the-ground solutions underscore the need for policymakers and relevant stakeholders to support small-scale and emerging farmers with ecosystem-friendly programmes. A focus on sustainability in extension and technology promotion, agricultural subsidies and financing, can open up pathways for balancing the need to feed a growing population while enhancing the resilience of the natural resource base. This is particularly crucial as Nigeria, and the African region as a whole, continue to grapple with Covid-19, locust invasions, and climate-related threats such as cyclical floods and droughts.

Written by John Agboola

This article is part of Covid-19 Food/Future, an initiative under TMG ThinkTank for Sustainability’s SEWOH Lab project (https://www.tmg-thinktank.com/sewoh-lab). It aims at providing a unique and direct insight into the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on national and local food systems. Also follow @CovidFoodFuture, our Video Diaries From Nairobi, and @TMG_think on Twitter. Funding for this initiative is provided by BMZ, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.