Washington, July 8, 2010 – The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved the sum of US$6.8 million for the Scaling Up Sustainable Land Management Practice, Knowledge and Coordination Project. This will be a three-and-a-half-year incremental Global Environmental Facility (GEF) grant to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, focused on mainstreaming Sustainable Land Management in Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
The objective of the project is to increase the incomes of rural entrepreneurs in areas of irrigable land that are low lying flood plains underlined by shallow aquifers and found along Nigeria's river system (fadama). This will be achieved by delivering resources directly to the rural communities, efficiently and effectively, and empowering them to collectively decide on how resources are allocated and managed for their livelihood activities and to participate in the design and execution of their sub-projects. By increasing their incomes, the project will help reduce rural poverty, increase food security and contribute to the achievement of a key Millennium Development Goal (MDG).
The incremental GEF funding will support critical activities which include capacity building, communications and information support. Other activities include monitoring, evaluation and knowledge All these activities that are fully integrated into the baseline Specific Investment Loan (SIL), the Third National Fadama Development Program (Fadama III).
