Great Green Wall Initiative: FG Targets 15m Seedlings

The Federal Ministry of
Environment said has that it estimated to plant 15 million seedlings under its Great Green Wall (GGW) programme.
, The Director, Drought and Desertification Amelioration Department, Ministry of Environment, Dr. Bukar Hassan, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
He said that the tree planting was aimed at fighting desertification at both state and local levels.
“Since inception in June 2013, the programme has secured plots of land in 92 communities across 46 area councils in the 11 frontline states.
“We estimated that we need about nine to 15 million seedlings.
“Each community will be raising 80,000 seedlings and if you multiply them by 92 communities, you will know how many seedlings that will be coming out from the communities.
“Along the line, the programme will provide facilities like irrigation materials, water, bags and chemicals needed to produce the seedlings.
“Now, once these seedlings are raised, the programme will pay the communities and ask them to plant them, while they will be paid some stipend for their activities.
“So, when you look at the entire segment of the programme, we are not only getting our land back after a long period of degradation, but also providing livelihood to the people.
“They raise seedlings, we buy them over and in turn, pay them to plant; so, at the end of the day, the land and the people themselves are better off,’’ he said.
Hassan said that the programme also intends to establish five fruit and vegetable orchards to be totally owned and managed by the communities.
He said that the orchards would engage the communities economically as it would provide additional income for the people.
“If you recall, the orchards are normally managed in the dry season, so the communities now have something to do in the dry season.
“And they will be able to harvest whatever they plant, sell what they plant and own the money.”
Hassan said the programme will also provide all inputs needed to secure the area such as fencing, provision of irrigation facilities and purchase of assorted fruit trees or vegetables they intend to raise.
Drought and desertification have been occurring persistently in the arid and semi-arid zone of northern Nigeria with devastating social and economic impact for decades.
The primary causes of desertification in Nigeria have been identified as over grazing, over exploitation, deforestation and poor irrigation practises.
This has led to negative impacts such as resource-use conflicts and threats to food security.