Katsina State has launched a $1 million project to shield its farming communities from the twin threats of flood and drought, a bid to steady food production in an agrarian state increasingly buffeted by climate shocks. Governor Dikko Umaru Radda unveiled the 12-month intervention, titled "Protecting Food Security Against Recurring Floods and Drought," which is being implemented by Mercy Corps Nigeria in partnership with the Katsina State Development Management Board and the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, according to THISDAY.
What the Money Buys
The project is concrete rather than abstract. It will construct soil bunds, contour barriers and drainage systems on 150 selected farms, restore degraded land and rehabilitate 12 solar-powered water points, according to Daily Times. The work will start in the Bindawa, Bakori and Kafur local government areas, according to Loveworld, with the governor signalling that he wants every local government in the state to eventually benefit.
Floods and Drought Together
The intervention is designed around a cluster of linked problems. Mercy Corps Nigeria programme manager Philip Ikita said it responds to recurring floods and droughts, soil erosion, poor storage, post-harvest losses, poverty and weak drainage and water management, according to P.M. News. Radda framed the effort as a necessary confrontation with a changing climate, saying it was a reality the state could not hide from and had to face with all its capacity, according to Daily Nigerian.
A Wider Package
The climate project came bundled with other support. Radda approved ₦500 million in counterpart funding for nutrition commodities to tackle acute malnutrition in children, and separately backed financial support for 361 agricultural entrepreneurs, according to Daily Times and Vanguard. The governor directed the budget ministry and the development board to coordinate closely with the ministries of agriculture, livestock and environment so the pilot could be extended, according to P.M. News.
Floods that wash away a harvest and droughts that stunt it both end as higher prices in the market. FoodPrices Nigeria tracks verified retail prices across Lagos markets, where the harvests of northern farm states like Katsina eventually settle the cost of grains, vegetables and tubers.