The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) says it has trained at least 640 farmers, including women, in Cross River State on sustainable agriculture.
Joseph Onoja, the director general of the NCF, disclosed this at the end of a workshop in Calabar on Wednesday.
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Mr Onoja said the beneficiaries, who cut across eight communities in the state, comprise 240 farmers and 400 women trained in the non-Timber Forest Products value chain and green enterprises.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the communities, including Iko Esai, are located in the Akamkpa and Yakurr local government areas in the state.
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He said that the project, tagged “Iko Esai” and themed “Community Forest Management and Livelihood Improvement in the Buffer Region of the Cross River National Park in Nigeria,” also restored 120 hectares of degraded forest.
He explained that the intervention aimed to re-establish community-based mechanisms for forest conservation and utilisation, as well as to promote sustainable, high-yield agricultural practices.
Mr Onoja also explained that the project, which began in 2022, was initiated to build the capacity of non-Timber Forest Products traders with a view to enhancing their income and sensitising local people on sustainable forest use and management.
He said that the project, funded by the German government, also established forest governance in the communities.
“We were able to work with eight communities for sustainable forest management, and this has led to the creation of sustainable alternative livelihoods.
“The objective is to empower these people to be able to protect their communities.
“As we all know, Cross River holds one of the enviable largest forest expanse in Nigeria and there is a need for all to come together to protect these forests, not just for the state, but for Nigeria and even the West African sub-region,” Mr Onoja said.
Also speaking, George Oben-Etche, the chairman of the Cross River Forest Commission, urged communities in the state to take ownership of their forests.
Mr Oben-Etche said that the only way to stop deforestation was to provide sustainable alternative livelihoods for the host communities.
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Christabel Ndubisi, the vice-president of the Calabar Chambers of Commerce, commended the NCF for providing alternative livelihoods for the communities.
Mrs Ndubisi promised to link the communities up with the market for their products.
Johnson Ebokpo, the state commissioner for agriculture, called for the adoption of traceability to save the forest.
Mr Ebokpo, represented by Omini Eyong, the director of crops and trees in the ministry, said that the invasion of forests was largely responsible for climate change.
He urged Nigerians to prioritise saving the forest for a better, healthier life.
“When you maintain the planet, the planet will in turn maintain you. When the environment is safe, the world will be saved,” he said.
Joseph Ntui of the Cross River National Park said that sustainable management of the forest would ensure its availability to future generations.
