Desertification

Increasing areas of northern Nigeria are turning into desert. With increasing climate change, these areas are facing heat above 45 degrees Celsius, soil degradation and shifting sand dunes. Hajia Waziri Toshua from Yobe State had to move her house twice to escape the sand dunes. Her father was not lucky: he died as the sand dunes encapsulated his house. Hear Hajiya talk about life in the desert. Watch Video

105 words to inspire you to think of a thriving agriculture that has business incentives for small farmers using organic fertilizer, where soil fertility is a high priority and is protected in the interest of future generations, where researchers are connecting to farmers providing them with climate proof seeds… Where agriculture serves people, nature and wealth creation. Read More - Imagine Agriculture

Nigeria’s 160 million people are projected to increase to 255 million by the year 2030. With desertification in the north, erosion and sea level rise along the Atlantic coast and more floods, will Nigeria be able to feed itself? With almost half of the country’s arable land not cultivated, there is a real possibility to increase food production. But how should Nigeria’s future agriculture look like? Green Deal Nigeria author Prof Chinedum Nwajiuba argues that sustainable agriculture is possible if small farmers are not left behind.

Millions of trees are fired and wasted under Nigerian cooking pots as many women still cook on three-stone fires. Cooking with fire wood has destroyed large sways of Nigerian forest cover, which is under threat of extinction today. Mallam Adamu Mbar Yelwa is a 78 year old citizen of Taraba state. He remembers the days when clouds were hanging low over Yelwa forests, providing the people of the area with fresh air and lots of animals. Watch Video

The scientific language is clear: over the past 105 years, the amount of rainfall per year dropped by 81 mm. The trend of declining rainfall worsened after 1970 and continues to this date. Between 1941 and 2000, average temperatures increased by an alarming 1.4-1.9 degrees Celsius. But what does it mean to young Nigerians when the rains don’t come any longer? Hear Yusuf Darama from Yobe State describe his generation’s lack of perspective. Watch Video 

It’s what people say when they invite someone to share their meal: in Nigeria, you ‘chop’ food as you dig your fingers into some delicious pounded yam with egusi stew. Alas, most Nigerians are not aware that by eating food, they usually chop down trees, too. As most Nigerian meals are still prepared on the traditional three-stone fire, the nation’s forest cover has been reduced to 5 per cent of its original size. Environmental journalist Ugochi Anyaka on Nigeria’s deforestation crisis..

In the northern Nigerian state of Jigawa, the demand for firewood for baking bread has resulted in unsustainable felling of trees. This has further accentuated the problem of desert encroachment. Watch this video and contact us on info@ng.boell.org if you have a solution.

Getting young and enthusiastic converts to join the fight against climate change, global warming and unsustainable environmental practices requires taking the message to their door steps. A conversation club in Gembu, Taraba state introduces young scholars to the realities and concepts of environmental protection. Watch video

Climate change is one of the most urgent issues of our time with widespread implications for the earth’s ecosystems and human development across sectors. Although gender equality and women’s empowerment are acknowledged pre-requisites for sustainable development, climate change policies neglect these important issues. The Heinrich Böll Foundation commissioned this study to assess the impact of climate change on local communities from a gender perspective as well as make recommendation on how to combat the local consequences (adaptation measures) using the relevant local institutions/agents which also needed to be identified. Download publication (PDF, 71 pages, 2.9 MB)

Climate change is a major threat to the  sustainable development in Nigeria. Responding to Climate change from both mitigation and adaptation angles require strategic approaches from policy, regulatory and institutional frameworks and capacities. In this scoping study, we examined the extent to which adaptive capacities of Nigeria have been utilized to influence sectoral policies that have influence in enhancing the national climate change adaptation response. Download Study (PDF, 44 pages, 453Kb)

Nigeria’s food security situation is characterised by the threat of hunger and poverty, which confronts the 69 percent of the population that lives on less than Naira 100 (US$ 0.7) per day.Smallholder farmers account for 80 percent of all farm holdings, but crop yields are far below potentials. This is due to inadequate access to and low uptake of high quality seeds and inefficient production systems, leading to regular shortfalls in production.