The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and its partners are to support the restoration of 18,000 hectares of land in two states for the sustainable cultivation of cocoa and oil palm.

FAO Climate Change Specialist Nifesimi Ogunkua disclosed this on Monday during a four-day FAO Participatory Informed Landscape Approach (PILA) Multi-Stakeholder Workshop in Calabar.

Ms Ogunkua said the restoration of the hectares of land would be carried out in Cross River and Ondo State, respectively.

The key deliverables of the project include the creation of two integrated landscape management (ILM) frameworks at the state level and four integrated land-use plans at the local government level.

Additionally, the project aims to strengthen at least four gender-sensitive state and federal government policies, regulations, and financing frameworks.

It also targets an increase of up to $200 million in private and public investment in the sustainable cocoa and oil palm value chain.

Ms Ogunkua, who also serves as the focal point for the Food System, Land Use, and Restoration Impact Programme, stated that the project would restore 10,800 hectares of degraded land in Cross River and 8,000 hectares in Ondo State.

According to her, the restoration process will employ an innovative approach known as regenerative agriculture and forestry practices.

She noted that “the project aims to address gaps identified by the federal government regarding the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) among smallholder farmers.

“Agriculture is a major driver of deforestation. Through funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and FAO, this project supports integrated landscape management.

“This initiative is designed to strengthen the capacity of smallholder farmers to adopt a holistic approach to land management.

“It is also to ensure access to land tenure systems and increase land availability for women, among other objectives. The project also promotes sustainable commodity production, ensuring that crops like cocoa and oil palm are cultivated in an environmentally responsible manner,” she added.

Similarly, Iyabo Mustapha, assistant director of land, environment, and climate change at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, emphasised that the initiative would help smallholder farmers comply with the EUDR regulations.

She noted that many smallholder farmers in the cocoa and oil palm sectors would benefit from the programme, allowing them to remain competitive while meeting the European Union’s sustainability requirements.

“The federal ministry of agriculture is also introducing additional support packages for these farmers.

“If we fail to address these environmental concerns, the long-term impact could be detrimental—we may not have a viable environment for future generations,” Ms Mustapha warned.

On her part, Beatrice Nyiam, chairman of Boki Local Government Area (LGA) in Cross River, highlighted the project’s significance for her community.

She noted that Boki, as one of the pilot LGAs, had faced severe environmental degradation due to logging and excessive chemical use in agriculture.

(NAN)