The Agro-Climate Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL), a World Bank-assisted project, said it has targeted 16,000 hectares of degraded land for restoration in Jigawa.
The project coordinator in the state, Yahaya Muhammad, made this known in an interview in Dutse.
Muhammad said ACReSAL, a six-year project, was a multi-sectoral and multi-institutional scheme covering environment, agriculture, and water and seeking to address challenges of desertification and drought.
The project is being implemented in 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory.
He explained that it was principally designed to combat desertification, restore degraded lands and create special ecosystems for agriculture and biodiversity conservation.
The coordinator added that the targeted landscapes would be restored for environmental sustainability and environmental health, so as to impact the livelihoods of communities in the state.
According to him, the land restoration programme will involve improving soil fertility, increasing water retention, and preventing further degradation.
Muhammad said restoring the ecosystem would provide habitat for plants, animals, and microorganisms and support the health of the overall ecosystem.
He added that this would promote agricultural production, accelerate food security, increase climate change resilience and mitigation, and combat rural poverty.
