By Boluwatife Adedokun
More than 82,000 smallholder farmers in Nasarawa State have received over 2.3 million tree seedlings as part of efforts to combat climate change and improve agricultural productivity.
The distribution, carried out by the non-governmental organisation One Acre Fund Nigeria, began in Adogi community, Lafia Local Government Area.
Speaking during the launch, the Trees Lead for One Acre Fund, Zainab Haruna, said the initiative aims to empower farmers by providing Albizia Lebbeck and Moringa seedlings to help restore degraded land, protect soil from erosion, and create future income sources.
“In 2025 alone, we aim to reach 471,700 farmers across Nasarawa, Kwara, and Niger States with 12.5 million tree seedlings. Nasarawa will receive 2.3 million of that, distributed to 82,150 farmers,” Haruna stated.
She emphasized the importance of tree planting in mitigating climate change impacts such as declining soil nutrients and unpredictable rainfall. Farmers were urged to care for the seedlings, which can later be harvested for personal use or income generation.
Nasarawa State Commissioner for Agriculture, Umar Tunga, represented by Lidia Kyari, commended the effort, pledging continued government support for climate-related interventions.
Programme Manager of the state’s Agricultural Development Programme, Umar Nuhu, also urged beneficiaries not to sell the seedlings but to plant and nurture them.
Each farmer received 27 seedlings to plant around their homes or farmlands. One of the beneficiaries, Hadiza Adamu, expressed gratitude and promised to use the trees to improve her livelihood.
