The United Kingdom has announced an investment of £95 million as part of its climate adaptation budget to help with climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture in Nigeria.
James Cleverly, the UK Foreign Secretary announced the pledge at the Conference of Parties (COP) 27 on Climate Change going on in Sharm El Sheikh City of Egypt this week.
The Propcom+ is a UK International Climate Finance (ICF) program, forms part of the UK support worth over £100 million to developing countries to deal with climate change.
The UK says the support will help at least 4 million Nigerians, including 2 million women who will benefit.
Cleverly said, “Propcom+ builds on the UK Government’s investment in agriculture through the Propcom Mai-karfi program in Nigeria.”
“This new program is also set to help address key barriers to sustainable agricultural development in Nigeria.
“It will support the development of climate-resilient agricultural policies, actions, and investments that deliver nutrition, increase productivity, adapt and build resilience while reducing emissions, and protect and restore natural ecosystems.
“For example, through the adoption and scaling of practices such as heat and flood-tolerant crop varieties and integrated soil fertility management.
“The new Propcom+ program involves supporting inclusive and resilient growth by promoting the progressive transformation of Nigeria’s rural economy.
“The new program will build the capacity of small-scale farmers and rural communities in climate-smart agriculture.
“It will work with Nigeria’s vibrant private sector on agriculture to increase productivity, improve nutrition and food security, enhance climate resilience, pursue lower emissions and halt and reverse biodiversity loss, as well as helping to tackle some of Nigeria’s underlying drivers of conflict and insecurity.”
UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, is also expected to make a raft of adaptation-related announcements at the conference, including that the UK will triple funding for adaptation programs from £500 million in 2019 to £1.5 billion in 2025.
