- FG approves 56,000 additional economic trees for planting across 34 horticulture clusters.
- NALDA targets one million economic trees by 2030.
- Over 2,000 youths are expected to participate in the next phase of the agroforestry campaign.
The Federal Government has approved the planting of an additional 56,000 economic trees across 34 Open-Field Horticulture Clusters nationwide as part of efforts to promote food security, environmental sustainability and climate action.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the initiative is being implemented by the National Agricultural Land Development Authority under its Green Hope Project.
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The approval was disclosed during the launch of the Youth Agroforestry and Climate Action Campaign in Oke-Onigbin, Isin Local Government Area of Kwara State.
Speaking at the tree-planting exercise, the Special Assistant on Projects to the NALDA Executive Secretary, Salman Ibrahim, said about 5,000 economic trees had already been planted during the first phase of the campaign across four locations.
He said approximately 400 youths participated as volunteers and climate advocates during the first phase, which began in Odogbolu, Ogun State, before moving to the University of Abuja, Barkin Ladi in Plateau State and finally Oke-Onigbin in Kwara State.
Ibrahim, who represented the NALDA Executive Secretary, Cornelius Adebayo, said the next phase would involve more than 2,000 youths who would participate in tree planting and promote climate action within their communities.
According to him, NALDA currently operates about 38 Open-Field Horticulture Clusters across Nigeria, covering more than 500 hectares, with individual clusters ranging from five to 20 hectares.
He explained that the economic trees would serve as natural perimeter fences around the agricultural clusters while providing food, restoring the environment and creating additional income opportunities for farmers.
Among the tree species being planted are mango, avocado, coconut and fig. These will complement crops such as tomatoes, pepper and okra cultivated within the horticulture clusters.
Ibrahim also disclosed that NALDA was exploring partnerships with relevant climate institutions to register and verify the trees for potential carbon-credit opportunities.
The youths participating in the programme, known as Green Hope Ambassadors, are expected to promote environmental responsibility and sustainable agricultural practices in their communities.
The initiative is part of NALDA’s broader plan to plant one million economic trees by 2030.
The authority said the Open-Field Horticulture component of the Green Hope Project would also create opportunities for women by providing access to productive farmland and allowing them to benefit from the fruits produced by the trees as they mature.
Also speaking, the Senior Assistant Technical to the NALDA Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Olusegun Owolabi, described the tree-planting campaign as an extension of the authority’s Open-Field Horticulture Programme.
He said the Green Hope Project consists of three major components: high-tech production, greenhouse cultivation and open-field horticulture.
Owolabi explained that the tree-planting component was introduced partly to restore vegetation removed during the development of agricultural sites.
He added that the trees would serve as natural farm boundaries while contributing to biodiversity, carbon sequestration and improved environmental conditions.
He said NALDA would continue monitoring and supporting the horticulture sites after the planting exercises, with trained farmers expected to manage the farms and care for the newly planted trees.
The campaign follows NALDA’s wider rollout of the Green Hope Project in Kwara State, where about 700 women from horticulture clusters across several communities have received training in modern agricultural production techniques.
With 5,000 trees already planted and another 56,000 approved for the next phase, NALDA is seeking to combine agricultural production with environmental restoration and greater climate resilience across the country.
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