The UK's Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, has made a momentous declaration regarding the inauguration of its novel program, Propcom+, dedicated to fostering climate resilience and growth by confronting environmental, societal, and economic quandaries within the country’s food and land-use systems.
An extensive £55 million contract and a substantial £2.89 million grant were unveiled as integral components of the £95 million Propcom+ eight-year UK International Climate Finance initiative, aimed at bolstering climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture and forestry to the advantage of people, climate, and nature.
The program's primary ambition is to support more than 4 million individuals, with a notable 50% being women, in adopting and amplifying sustainable agricultural practices that enhance productivity and climate resilience while simultaneously reducing emissions and safeguarding natural ecosystems.
Propcom+ takes inspiration from the UK Government's previous investment in agriculture through the Propcom Mai-karfi program, which concluded in March 2022, having benefitted over 1.25 million individuals with enhanced incomes through pivotal market reforms and policies that especially uplifted impoverished women and men in Northern Nigeria.
Moreover, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly explicitly underscored the contribution of UK Support in unlocking a substantial sum of $210 million in financing from the African Development Bank (AFDB) for the participating Nigerian states, specifically directed toward the development of critical infrastructure and related undertakings as part of the Special Agro-industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) program.
Post-event, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, remarked, “Addressing the ramifications of climate change and reducing emissions remains a paramount priority for the UK government. We are steadfast in our commitment to nurturing sustainable, pro-poor, climate-resilient growth in Nigeria through the novel Propcom+ program, which shall effectively tackle environmental, social, and economic complexities within the nation's food and land-use systems."
This will be achieved by collaboratively engaging strategic market players to enhance the productivity of smallholder farmers, improve nutrition and food security, reinforce climate resilience, embrace lower emissions, and conserve and rehabilitate nature, while also addressing some of Nigeria's underlying catalysts for conflict and insecurity.
Operational since May 2023, the program is being implemented by The Palladium Group and primarily targets focal states such as Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Edo, and Cross River. These regions will be the recipients of climate-smart agricultural interventions specifically designed to aid the underprivileged and climate-vulnerable communities. In addition, Propcom+ will extend its reach to certain Southern Nigerian states, where it will diligently tackle deforestation issues and promote sustainable land-use management.
Adiya V. Ode, Propcom+’s Political Director and Country Representative, elaborated on the market facilitator role of the program in identifying constraints within market systems. It will carry out interventions through three comprehensive, interconnected pillars. Pillar one focuses on scaling up a targeted range of proven climate-smart interventions, encompassing agriculture and primary processing/storage practices/models. These will be made accessible to millions of impoverished and vulnerable smallholder farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs, employing a market systems approach.
"Pillar two," Adiya continued, "will innovatively build, pilot, and expand new business models that elevate productivity, fortify resilience to climate change, reduce emissions, and enhance nutrition outcomes. Lastly, pillar three aims to reinforce a favorable enabling environment for sustainable food and land-use systems through supportive policies."
In essence, the newly introduced Propcom+ program stands as a testament to the UK Government's unwavering commitment to partnering with the Government of Nigeria, deepening investment in the agricultural sector, and empowering the vulnerable to develop resilience and adaptability in the face of climate change's far-reaching impacts.
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