Two thousand and seventy-one farmers in Gombe have benefited from the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes project in the last 15 months.

The state coordinator of ACReSAL, Sani Jauro, disclosed this in an interview on Tuesday while speaking on the success of the project in the agriculture sector.

Mr Jauro said that climate change had become a threat to almost every aspect of life, particularly the agriculture sector, which provides the food that sustains humanity.

He said it was important for farmers to be empowered towards helping them build resilience against climate change and its devastating impact on food security and their livelihoods.

He said it was in that regard that farmers in the state were supported with climate-resilient seeds and other agricultural inputs to boost food security, enhance productivity, and adapt to climate change pressures.

According to him, one of the reasons for supporting the farmers is to help them boost productivity as well as their incomes to support their households.

”We have distributed drought-resistant seedlings to about 55 farmer clusters across the state, with a total number of 2071 farmers reached.

”These varieties are designed to withstand late onset or early cessation of rainfall, enabling farmers to record better harvests even under irregular weather patterns,” he said.

Mr Jauro added that ACReSAL had also supported the agriculture sector in the state through mechanisation of farming practices to reduce manual labour in farms.

He said that multipurpose tractors were procured and distributed to the local government areas for local farmers to access at subsidised rates.

He noted that since many of the farmers couldn’t afford such equipment, ACReSAL provided the equipment to assist them in cultivating larger farmlands within a short period.

Speaking further on ACReSAL’s impact on agriculture, the project coordinator said that rehabilitation of the Balanga Dam Canal was being carried out, and on completion of the second phase, it would boost irrigation farming.

He added that it would also open opportunities for thousands of farmers to engage in year-round farming, adding that this would contribute to food supply stability, lower market prices, and increased employment.

Mr Jauro also disclosed that through ACReSAL’s intervention, a training hub for extension specialists had been established.

He said that the essence of the initiative was to provide extension workers in the state with up-to-date knowledge, practical techniques, and hands-on training.

According to him, the hub will enhance their ability to assess soil health, interpret environmental indicators, and provide timely advisory services to farmers.

Mr Jauro commended Governor Inuwa Yahaya for providing the needed support for ACReSAL to carry out the interventions to boost food security, water supply and environmental management.

(NAN)