The Zamfara State Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project has organised a step-down training on degraded land restoration in order to equip them with knowledge and aspects of the FAO initiative as it relates to land restoration and food sustainability.
The step-down training was held at the Karma Hotel in Gusau, Zamfara State Capital, as a follow-up to an earlier training organised by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) for technical staff in the ACReSAL Project in the state.
According to Zamfara state project coordinator Mallam Nasirudeen Bello, the training would focus on different techniques of land restoration, seed and seedling cultivation, preservation and land management in the state.
“ACreSAL is a project initiated by the federal government through World Bank assistance aimed at addressing the critical challenge of regional desertification and landscape management in northern states.”. He said.
The Zamfara state project coordinator stressed that the step-down training was necessary in order to be equipped with knowledge of all the aspects of the FAO initiative as they relate to land restoration and food sustainability.
“We expected that at the end of the training,the about 200 participants that were drawn from community interest groups (CIG), agricultural extension agents, LGPIC, and line MDA’s would be more equipped with methods of restoring degraded lands, crop and seed cultivation and preservation, as well as the various planting techniques in the state.
Earlier on,the chairman of the state steering committee, ACReSAL, and the commissioner of environment and natural resources, represented by the permanent secretary, Alhaji Garba Altine Dauran, disclosed that the training came at the right time when land degradation became an issue of concern.
He called on the participants to use what they would learn and work for the benefit of the state.
In his remarks, Zamfara state head of service, Barrister Ahmed Liman, urged ACReSAL stakeholders to bury all the differences for the project to succeed.
“Let us put the ACRESAL project as our first priority. We want development in our state. Let us put all our hands together for more benefit. We should endeavour to challenge the progress of ACRESAL in our state.”.
The training was followed by a field visit to some sites and subsequent paper presentations, goodwill messages, the Zamfara State ACRESAL documentary, and remarks and comments from participants in the state.
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