KWACReSAL Intensifies Land Restoration Efforts in Kwara
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
The Kwara Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (KWACReSAL) has made significant progress in its land restoration interventions across various communities in the State.
ACReSAL and FOnGO monitoring team at Gidan Magagiya, Okuta, Baruten Local government, recently.
A statement by the agency’s spokesperson, Okanlawon Taiwo, stated that recent inspection visits revealed appreciable progress, with many seedlings sprouting, while taking cognisance of areas that needed improvements.
The team, including representatives from the Focal NGO (FoNGO), supervised the planting of new seedlings to cover more hectares of land. The communities visited included Shonga in Edu Local Government Area, Gidan Magajiya in Baruten Local Government Area, and Kaiama in Kaiama Local Government Area.
KWACReSAL has set a target to achieve the restoration of 10,000 hectares of degraded land in selected communities of Kwara State in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
The land restoration initiative is expected to boost soil fertility, increase water retention, promote food security and greater biodiversity, and mitigate the effects of climate change in the State.
Speaking on the sidelines of the inspection visits, Kwara ACReSAL FAO Desk Officer, Ms Lola Ajayi, said the team was delighted to see that most of the seedlings, planted about a month ago, were doing pretty well.
“Recall that a delegation from FAO was in Kwara State in July 2025 for a capacity building session on land restoration techniques, alongside some other states in the training. The training was well received and timely. We have cascaded most of the lessons in the training down to communities, and we are getting good results in our ongoing land restoration efforts and hope for better results,” she said.
The KWACReSAL team also engaged the communities on the need to own the restoration project as it would contribute greatly to food security and climate change mitigation in the country and serve generations unborn.
The Natural Resources Officer, Mallam Hussein Salihu, cautioned community members against cutting down trees in the forest, stressing that trees serve some important purposes for environmental sustainability.
Other members of the KWACReSAL team on the visits were the Social Livelihood Officer, Mr Adebayo Sanni, and the Agric Officer, Mrs Khadijat Oke.
At Gidan Magajiya, the leader of the Fulani community, Mallam Abubakar Gidado, lauded Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the ACReSAL Project, and FAO for bringing huge development to their community, pledging to continue monitoring the restoration initiative and engage members of his community on the need to collectively support and preserve it.