Nearly 50 000 households benefit from SAFE kits in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states of N. East Nigeria
Maiduguri - As part of efforts to enhance the protection of women and girls as well as the environment, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched the distribution of Fuel-Efficient Stoves (FES) and briquettes in Borno Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states of northeast Nigeria. The intervention targets 49 700 vulnerable households, particularly women and girls exposed to protection risks.
Access to food and cooking energy has always proved a daunting challenge to households in these states since the crisis began more than 13 years ago. Firewood is the primary source of cooking energy in most vulnerable households; thus women and girls are most often tasked with the responsibility of fetching firewood in dangerous forests, some of which are inhabited by non-state actors, thereby exposing them to harassment, violence, abduction and sometimes death.
The Safe Access to Fuel and Energy (SAFE) program was initiated by FAO in 2018. The 2022/2023 intervention is facilitated with funding support of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) and the governments of Norway, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Japan, and Switzerland. The official launch was conducted in Potiskum, Yobe state where 2 000 households received the kits.
The state Commissioner of Environment Hon. Sidi Yakubu commended the intervention, saying it is timely and in line with the vision of the state government to mitigate the impacts of climate change. “We are disturbed by the impacts of desertification and afforestation. Most of which is compounded by the activities of humans, like cutting down available trees around for firewood”.
“Desert encroachment is catching up with us in the state very fast, the presence of trees mitigates the impacts. This intervention would help in minimising the number of trees that would be cut down”, emphasized the Commissioner.
In addition to deforestation and desertification, the unsustainable practice of cutting down of trees for logs, leads to increased carbon emission. “Our experience from the post-distribution evaluation of households that received FES in the past reported a 50% reduction in firewood usage due to the stove's high heat value, which cooks food faster and retains the heat longer”, said the Head of FAO northeast sub-Office AlHassan Cisse.
Cisse emphasized that “the reduction in expenditure on fuelwood was 58%, and the frequency of fuelwood scouting time reduced from four times a week to 1.5 times a week, thus enhancing the protection of vulnerable groups”.
In the same vein, the representatives of the Commissioner of Women Affairs in Yobe state, the Director of Human Resources Management and Desk Officer Development Partners Mohammed Ali Tanimu and the chairman of Potiskum local government area, Mohammed Ahmed all reiterated that the intervention to enhance the protection of women and children, as well as environmental conservation can best be achieved by promoting a sustainable energy solutions.
FAO established six Fuel Efficient Stoves and seven Briquette production centers across the BAY states, including one briquette center in Tike community of Potiskum LGA, to enhance access to fuel, energy and provide a means of livelihood for vulnerable households, particularly women
Related Links:
https://www.fao.org/family-farming/detail/en/c/1619240/
https://www.fao.org/3/ca3702en/ca3702en.pdf
Contact:
David Tsokar Uloma MezieOsuocha
Communication Specialist Communication for Development
FAO Nigeria FAO Nigeria