Federal Govt Signs MoU With US Govt On Climate-smart Agriculture 

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has endorsed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States Government under the initiative of Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate). 

With this agreement, Nigeria will join other global participants to work in support of a common goal to increase and accelerate investments in agriculture and food systems innovation in favour of climate action.

The endorsement which involved the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar and the Presidential Special Envoy for Climate Change, John Kerry in Abuja on Tuesday, envisage to amplify the AIM for climate objectives.

The minister said that the climate objectives was in line with the objective of the federal government as contained in the NATIP policy document , adding that the sector is expected to achieve potential greenhouse emissions reduction by 74million tonnes by 20230 through climate smart agriculture and afforestation measures.

During the signing, the minister indicated area of needed support which borders on biofortified drought and flood tolerance seeds to adapt and mitigate effect of climate change and development of farmers led solar powered small scale irrigation improvement in genetics of the dairy herd.

Other area of intervention needed according to the minister include, upscale of climate smart agriculture profiling to other states and agricultural greenhouse gas estimation and accounting at national and sub-national levels for adequate mitigation planning.

The Presidential Special Envoy, John Kerry also assured of the US Government support towards climate action and smart agriculture.

Kerry said that the US Government was taking steps to conduct research with the aim to develop seeds that are climate resilient to support the mission.