FAO commends DEVCON on Communities’ Engagement in Sustainable Management of Cross River Forest
PHOTO: Second left, Executive Director, PADIC-DEVCON , Dr. Martins Egot, 4th left, FAO Representative, Precious Agbesor, PADIC-DEVCON Asst. Manager, Obongha Oguni and the Cross River National Park Conservator with her team
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has commended its implementing partner, a non-governmental environmental organisation, Development Concern (DEVCON) on its effective engagement of selected communities in Cross River State in sustainable natural resource management.
The FAO, Water and Irrigation specialist, Precious Agbesor, who is also the Nigeria Focal Point for the Global Transformation of Forest for People and Climate: A Focus on West Africa Project, stated this during the organisation’s familiarization visit to DEVCON and its project community Iko Esai, Akamkpa Local Government Area of the state.
He said the visit was to establish FAO’s presence with DEVCON and also the project communities (beneficiaries).
While narrating his experience during the five hours’ drive to the difficult terrain in Iko Esai community, he expressed satisfaction at the level of community’s engagement. He said the commitment of the youths to conserve and regenerate the forest through forest surveillance and raising nurseries of different indigenous trees species.
The FAO Specialist expressed, “My visit to Iko-Esai community, although the terrain was not friendly, but the people are, they gave me a very warm welcome so it worth the stress. I saw the commitment of the youths where they were doing the reporting of the tree plants and the procedures it takes to bring it to the nursery where it can now grow. We were able to know that they had about seven different species that they are trying to incubate and how it nurses there then bring it back to the field.
“It was nice to see the forest guards that have benefited from the training of DEVCON and also get to hear from them what their challenges are and they told us how they want us to equip them with uniforms and all that. We also went to the community where we had a meeting with a larger number of community members and for me it was another good occasion to see what he is doing, one thing that was very clear during the visit was his presence (DEVCON Executive Director, Dr. Martins Egot), he wasn’t doctored at all, and the people spoke their mind. We have also seen cases that before we get to the place they have told the people what to say and what not to say but we could see clearly that they were speaking based on what has been happening to them and they mentioned the impact they got from this people even if we cannot satisfy people because they always want more and things that are not in the scope. The ones we can do are within the scope, for example the issue of honey production, to train them on Bee keeping and all that. It is already integrated in the work plan because we have some issues which we are handling on our own so once we have passed that stage; we would have those women train.”
PHOTO: FAO Reps, Agbesor in a Town Hall Meeting with Community Members in Edondon during his visit
According to him, plans to support women in project communities to engage in honey production in order to ensure income generation is ongoing, noting that the gesture will go a long way to promote the livelihood of the intended beneficiaries who are mostly women in rural areas.
He added, “There is always what we call an entry point in every project we do in FAO, for us this is an entry point with FAO and DEVCON. FAO is always here, we have been here for the past forty years assisting government of Nigeria to ensure that there is food and nutrition security and most importantly to manage the environment. So we will always find something to do with DEVCON, it may not be in that community but in another community as far as the government identifies an area that they want FAO to intervene.
“FAO may not be in the field all the time but they will identify with people of DEVCON who have the foot print in the project communities. We are looking at the area of micro garden particularly for women to support them in the training and also to improve them with input so that they can grow vegetable in their garden and this will promote nutrition.
“You will agree with me that it will also promote livelihood because they will harvest, not just to eat but to sell.
“We have other areas that we can collaborate with DEVCON but it will be based on the needs of the community because we don’t like to force people on what they don’t want.”
He also disclosed that currently, FAO has about two projects in the state and have just acquired an office, noting that this will provide the opportunity of working close with DEVCON in achieving their aim and objective which are to ensure that there is food and nutrition security and most importantly to manage the environment.
PHOTO: Agbesor, accompanied by Dr. Egot and others while inspecting nurseries of different indigenous trees species, an ongoing project to conserve and regenerate the forest