The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says it has provided agricultural support to about 1,000 Cameroonian Refugees and host community in Cross River to improve their livelihood.
Mr David Tsokar, the National Communication Officer, FAO disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said the gesture was part of efforts made by FAO to improve access to nutritious food and revive livelihood of Cameroonian refugees and their host communities.
According to the statement, FAO Country Representative, Suffyan Koroma said the items are carefully selected to assuage the livelihood challenges of the refugees, especially “the most vulnerable women’’.
Koroma said the intervention targets seven local governments in Cross River which are Ogoja; Ikom; Obanliku; Boki; Etung; Akamkpa and Calabar, while in Benue, Ikyogen, where the state government resettled the refugees from Anyeke.
He said with the recent influx of over 8 000 refugees, the total of 60 000 Cameroonians accommodated in the three states.
“The micro gardens would support the food and nutrition needs of the households and increase the resilience of the affected population to threats and crises.
“To ease the process, the target beneficiaries are trained on backyard gardening, nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food systems, agriculture value chain and market access and mainstreaming gender and protection in agriculture and livelihood at Ogoja level.
“The UN Agencies collaborated with the State’s Emergency Management Agencies (SEMA), Local Government Agricultural Development Officers (ADP) in each of the targeted LGAs, with the support of the community leaders.
According to him, the seven affected local government areas in Cross River state have collected micro-gardening kits, safe kits, farm tools and equipment.
Koroma said the interventions were carried out under the joint project agriculture and livelihood support to Cameroonian refugees and host communities in Cross River, Benue and Taraba States.