The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), in partnership with the Canadian High Commission’s Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, has embarked on activities to tackle climate change in the grassroot communities of River Kampe National Park, Kwara State.
The objectives of the project are; Building resilience for vulnerable 3 support zone communities to the impact of climate change through nature-based solutions; Empowering 3 support zone communities especially women on alternative energy source through the production of Biochar/Briquette from agriculture waste; Developing a Nature-based Recovery Action Plan for River Kampe National Park towards restoring its over 65,000 hectares of forest landscape through a community-led approach.
As part of the project activities, NCF has trained 50 women and youth from the various communities on Biochar production from rice waste.
The training covered production, packaging, use, and marketing of briquette and contributes in these 3 key areas:- Energy security by developing alternative and sustainable energy source for the communities, thereby dissuading them from cutting down trees for firewood; Climate change mitigation from reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases; Economic development with the improvement of livelihoods of over 10,000 inhabitants of these rural areas especially women and youth through fruits and biochar enterprise.
Participants in this biochar training were also organized into community biochar women cooperative group where they will have access to seed funding to set up the biochar enterprise in the beneficiary communities – Agboro, Latayi, and Koro in Pategi Local Government Area of Kwara State.