The IITA Youth in Agribusiness Unit (IYA) has commenced the implementation of technical component of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project. Supported by the World Bank, the initiative aims to empower women and youths while restoring sustainable landscapes and enhancing resilience against climate change across the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory by 2028.
Leading Work Package Four, which focuses on youths and women, IYA empowers participants to build skills, develop sustainable agribusinesses in agroforestry and Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs), strengthen their livelihoods, and contribute to reforestation in the region.
Following the technical component’s launch in May 2026, the IYA team conducted grassroots baseline assessments across Kano, Katsina, Bauchi, Plateau, Taraba, Nasarawa, and Jigawa states. Through Focus Group Discussions and site visits with Community Interest Groups (CIGs), the team identified viable market opportunities, focusing on economic trees and NTFPs. The engagements also deepened capacity-building partnerships with key institutions, including the Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA) in Kano State and Federal College of Land Resources Technology (FECOLART) in Plateau State.
Over the coming months, IYA will roll out intensive training to establish pilot farm enterprises centered on agroforestry, actively incorporating Fruits and NTFPs. The project aims to equip no fewer than 250 cooperatives in Northern Nigeria to plant about 42,000 trees across 450 hectares. To support this, the capacity building modules will cover cooperative organization, soil enrichment using compost and nitrogen-fixing crops, seedling production, broader agroforestry skills, and post-harvest handling.
To prepare the groups to access financing, IYA will train participants in agribusiness plan preparation and in operating transparent revolving savings. An acceleration program will also be introduced to help existing youth and women-led enterprises access the project’s Community Revolving Fund for expansion.
Additionally, IYA’s Start Them Early Program (STEP) will establish extracurricular clubs in select secondary schools. Complemented by advocacy and tree-planting campaigns, the clubs will build the students’ agribusiness capacity and help them connect classroom lessons with the environmental and economic realities of climate change.
By working closely with communities to test solutions and strengthen enterprises, IYA’s efforts will contribute directly to ACReSAL’s overall target of restoring one million hectares of land by 2028 and reaching 3.4 million direct participants.