As part of its ongoing effort to support victims of Boko Haram insurgency in North-East Nigeria, UNDP has provided farmers with Agricultural inputs in Bazza Community, Michika, Local Government Area in Adamawa State. Bazza, a returning community was attacked by the insurgent group leading to mass exodus of families and disruption of economic activities – families were mostly engaging in farming as a source of livelihood.

 During the same period, livestock was distributed in Askira-Uba and Hawul, Local Government Areas, in Borno State. After ten years of instability, Borno State remains the epicentre of the crisis that has led to the displacement of over 2 million people, majority of them across the North-East, while some have fled to other parts of the country and another crossed into neighbouring countries.  

UNDP is supporting efforts aimed at resuscitation of food production in conflict- affected communities by providing key inputs to family communities. These include seeds, tools and fertilizers, in combination with timely training of farmers and extension services on better land and livestock management practices. These interventions will not only boost expected output from the 2019 farming season, it will also put communities back on track to self-reliance.

This year, UNDP is targeting up to 3,000 households with this kind of support - all made possible through generous funding support from the European Union. An additional 1,300 households will be supported through funding support the government of Japan.

UNDP has been supporting livelihoods of people in the conflict-affected communities in the States of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. As a part of the ongoing intervention, UNDP supports agriculture as the major source of income in the region. This ranges from efforts to boost local food production and improve household nutrition, campaigns to helping pastoral family with skills and knowledge needed for better rearing of their livestock and sustainable management of natural resources. Communities also benefit from trainings aimed at building community resilience in the face of conflict.

The violence in the North-East has destroyed lives and communities and consigned millions to untold suffering. UNDP recognizes that maximizing the effectiveness of humanitarian assistance, and ensuring it contributes to long-term development solutions is a key part of the comprehensive approach to reducing the level of suffering. This intervention is not only saving lives, but also promoting agriculture-based livelihood systems, safeguarding critical infrastructure and investments in communities which would otherwise be lost.