ACReSAL Team equipped with hands-on skills in Land Restoration at Akperan Orshi Polytechnic, Benue State

The ACReSAL team visited Akperan Orshi Polytechnic in Gboko in Benue to learn and demonstrate practical land preparation, water conservation and climate-smart agriculture techniques for sustainable farming and land restoration.

The learning experience is part of the ongoing joint World Bank, FAO, and FGN Implementation Support Mission for ACReSAL in Benue State. The mission aims to harmonise approaches to fast-track land preparation and restoration activities, with the FAO providing technical support.

With classroom skills acquired so far, the team visited the polytechnic to demonstrate practical land restoration techniques, starting from land preparation using the half-moon approach to seedling planting. According to Abdulhamid Umar, National Project Coordinator for ACReSAL, the school was selected as a learning ground to demonstrate practical techniques on land restoration.

“The mission team visited the agroforestry model in the school that was supported by ACReSAL and appealed to the community to protect the investment and ensure its sustainability,” Umar said. “ACReSAL will continue to implement projects that speak to land restoration and community climate resilience.”

Hon. Odoh Ugwu, Commissioner for Water Resources, Environment, and Climate Change in Benue State, and Chairman of the State Steering Committee for ACReSAL, praised ACReSAL’s life-changing interventions across the state. He noted that the ACReSAL team was in Benue for an implementation support mission, aimed at providing technical support to accelerate land restoration efforts.

He appreciated ACReSAL’s initiatives, including community revolving funds, agroforestry, climate-resilient agricultural inputs, and mechanized agricultural inputs. “We call on the school and communities to own, protect, and sustain the project’s investments,” he added.

Dr. Victoria T. Pillah, Chairman, Governing Council, Akperan Orshi Polytechnic, expressed gratitude for the partnership with ACReSAL. “The timing of ACReSAL’s visit is profoundly significant, coming shortly after our institution secured a landmark achievement – 100% accreditation of all academic programs,” she said.

“We are particularly honoured by the confidence ACReSAL has demonstrated in partnering with AOPOLY through the innovative agroforestry model,” she added. “This transformative model integrates trees and crops on shared landscapes, advancing ecosystem restoration, enhancing rural livelihoods, and promoting climate-smart farming.”

The agroforestry model is already yielding impressive impacts in terms of teaching, research, and hands-on skill development. “We are optimistic that by 2026, the model will be widely replicated, benefiting not just our students but also surrounding communities,” Dr. Pillah said.

Before the town hall engagement, the mission team led by Dr. Joy Iganya Agene, Task Team Leader, conducted a practical field demonstration of land restoration skills within the school environment . The students promised to jealously guard the intervention.

The visit will remain remarkable in the institution’s memory, Dr. Pillah concluded, “not only for the visit itself but for the new energy it brings toward collaborative development in key priority areas.”

Technical officers from ACReSAL’s 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) participated in this exercise, ensuring that Lessons Learned can be effectively replicated and implemented in their respective states.