World leaders are discussing actions to tackle climate change at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt, with agriculture and food taking a prominent position this…

World leaders are discussing actions to tackle climate change at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt, with agriculture and food taking a prominent position this year as the world’s foods systems and vulnerable populations face increasing risks posed by climate change.

In the present age of impending climate challenges, sustainable agriculture is a very vital topic in any discussion, let alone COP, which stands for “Conference of the Parties”. The parties are the attending countries that signed up to the original UN climate agreement in 1992. COPs are held by the UN every year, for governments to agree steps to limit global temperature rises.

While the agricultural and food sector is profoundly impacted by climate change, it also contributes around a third of global greenhouse emissions, from production to consumption. Much of the emissions come from commercial, large-scale agriculture and processing and as you would imagine, the bulk of climate financing also goes to commercial, large-scale agriculture predominantly in the west. According to Climate Champions, whereas the world’s smallholder farmers produce around a third of the world’s food, only 1.5 per cent of global climate finance (USD 10 billion) is currently channeled into small-scale agriculture, and just seven per cent (USD 700 million) is going to value chain actors like smallholder farmers.

Businesses and individuals have over the years contributed to the degradation of the environment and warming of the planet, through predominantly burning fossil fuels. Conscious efforts are made now to reduce the level of negative impact on the environment. This involves usage of renewable energies, sustainable architecture, waste management, etc. Agricultural and indeed all environmental sustainability questions the human actions that have caused such problems as deforestation and pollution. It continuously seeks to create measured decisions and actions that will reduce the negative impacts we have on the environment.  Sustainability spans across many fields and disciplines in its stand to address all the economic, social, technological and institutional aspects related to the challenges of the environment. Governments and organisations such as the United Nations are continuously making policies and laws regarding environmental sustainability.

Businesses, including agribusinesses through their activities play the biggest roles in escalating climate change, and must vehemently explore sustainability in order to improve the long-term impact they have on the planet. This is why many devised new means of using natural resources such as land, agricultural produce, and energy. As regards energy, most companies are turning towards renewable energies as opposed to fossil fuels that cause a serious threat to the environment. Also, the long-term maintenance of this consciousness is necessary to validate environmental sustainability decisions and actions. Thus, ways are devised to make production and other processes of business completely sustainable.

Experts agree that sustainability is a process which tells of a development of all aspects of human life affecting sustenance. It inarguably involves resolving the conflict between the various competing goals, and involves the simultaneous pursuit of economic prosperity, environmental quality and social equity. Therefore, it is a continually evolving process. The activities involved in achieving sustainability are hence very vital as the only vehicles of getting there.

In other words, sustainability is the process of making sure current processes of interaction with the environment are pursued with the idea of keeping the environment as pristine as naturally possible. Thus, environmental sustainability demands that society designs activities to meet human needs while indefinitely preserving the life support systems of the planet. This, for example, entails using water sustainably, only utilizing renewable energy, and sustainable material supplies (e.g. harvesting wood from forests at a rate that maintains the biomass and biodiversity).

There can be a case of an “unsustainable situation” when the sum total of nature’s resources is used up faster than it can be replenished. Sustainability requires that human activity only uses nature’s resources at a rate at which they can be replenished naturally. Inherently the concept of sustainable development is intertwined with the concept of carrying capacity. Theoretically, the long-term result of environmental degradation is the inability to sustain human life. Such degradation on a global scale could imply extinction for humanity, and agriculture’s purpose is to preserve humanity and planet.

As smallholder farmers grapple to adapt to the often-incredible impacts of climate change in Africa, one of my biggest worries is on Africa’s capacity to fund the timely innovation needed to safeguard its vulnerable communities and the continent’s food security. Donor funding has proven critical in the public sector building the economic infrastructure that supports farmers and agribusinesses to produce and process food, but how do we equally ensure there is funding for R&D and innovation in the private sector especially for startups and other agribusinesses in Africa? How do we get the much-needed climate finance through for instance carbon markets to fund smallholder farmers and nature-based solutions in Nigeria?

This is why I am excited to hear about the launch of Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST) by the COP27 presidency, to improve the quantity and quality of climate finance contributions to transform agriculture and food systems by 2030, supporting adaptation and maintaining a 1.5-degree pathway whilst supporting food and economic security. This multi-stakeholder cooperation programme will have concrete deliverables for enhancing country capacities to access climate finance and investment, increase knowledge, and provide policy support and dialogue. My hope is Nigeria can utilize this and many other initiatives to tap into global climate finance for its smallholder farmers who are at the receiving end of the impacts of climate change.

By Nasir Yammama  (Daily Trust)

Recent research has attributed growing Climate Challenges as the main cause of the floods that killed over 600 people in Nigeria earlier in 2022. Nigeria experienced it worst flooding in over 10 years with more than 1.4 million people badly affected and devastating impact on homes and farmland along.

Researchers from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) consortium said in a study that the floods, among the deadliest on record in Nigeria with human ignorance and activities directly exacerbating climate change. According to the experts the floods between June and October this year displaced more than 1.4 million people and were 80 times likelier to occur because of human activity.

The 2023 flood experience has brought to the fore the urgent need to rethinking Nigeria Climate action – present and future challenges. The growing challenge of Climate Change and flooding in Nigeria was recently attributed to mismanagement of the nation’s ecological fund and government reluctant in accepting full responsibility for the safety and welfare of the people.

While much has been said about the floods’ effects, it’s essential to consider how corruption and unaccountable spending of the Ecological Fund contributed to the problem. The Federal Government of Nigeria established the fund to address various ecological challenges in communities across the country. It was created through the Federation Account Act 1981, on the recommendation of the Okigbo Commission, and then modified in 2002.

The fund initially constituted 1% of the Federation Account, and in 1992 this was increased to 3%. The aim was to devote a pool of money to projects that would ameliorate serious environmental problems nationwide. The fund now also covers flooding, which is a direct consequence of climate change.

Data collated from the monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee reports show that between 2012 and 2021, Nigeria set aside N548 billion for the derivation and ecological funding account. Given that the country is at high risk for graft, sums of this magnitude are vulnerable to misappropriation and fraud – with dire consequences for citizens suffering the impact of climate change.

“The influence of climate change means the prolonged rain that led to the floods is no longer a rare event,” the study found. The above-average rain over the wet season now has approximately a 1 in 10 chance of happening each year; without human activities it would have been an extremely rare event.”

The report comes as COP27 climate talks are under way in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh, where developing nations are demanding rich polluters pay for climate-change linked calamities. But until there is change in attitude of Nigerian Leaders in prioritizing the sustainability of the nation and welfare of the people, no matter how much the rich polluters pay Nigeria or any other Africa Countries; where human ignorance and activities have been identified as a challenge – Climate Change and Flood would remain a major deadly challenge in Nigeria.

The proper alignment of Abia State’s Agroforestry as a pivotal source of wealth creation emerged as a milestone resolution during the 2nd Abia Sustainability RoundTable Series. Hosted by the Alikwomobu Centre for Sustainability & Research in collaboration with the Abia League of Professional Initiative and concerned Abia citizens, the virtual event took place via the Zoom platform on Thursday, July 22nd, 2021. The theme of the roundtable was “Deepening the Framework and Sustainability of ABSLTDP – From Planning to Implementation.”

Chief Sonny Iroche, Convener/National Coordinator of Abia League of Professional Initiatives, highlighted leadership as a key factor in the growing social and economic challenges facing Abia State. He noted that while successive administrations have produced development blueprints since the era of the Eastern Regional Government of Dr. Michael Okpara, the challenge lies in the effective implementation of these plans. The poor implementation, according to him, has resulted in severe consequences such as insecurity and underdevelopment.

Enyindiya Uwa Ojike, Co-founder/CEO of One Voice Adastrapera Consulting Group, observed that the current Abia State 30-year Long Term Development Plan holds promise for the state’s future. However, she raised concerns about certain assumptions, particularly the gap between recurrent and capital expenditure. Warning against the continued emphasis on recurrent expenditures without proper audit of the state workforce, she stressed that it poses a significant challenge to achieving sustainable development.

Engr. Uchechukwu Onwuchekwa, Project Manager at Chartwell Construction Nig. Ltd, urged the Abia State government to prioritize education as a critical necessity for the state’s social and economic development.

The Abia Sustainability RoundTable Series (ASRS) is an initiative by concerned Abia professionals and citizens committed to enhancing excellence in governance culture in Abia State. The objective is to establish a mechanism for deliberate, planned, and sustainable development, positioning Abia State competitively on the global development map and among progressive and sustainable states in Nigeria.

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