Northeastern Nigeria: Belgium’s contribution through the Special Fund for Emergency and Resilience Activities (SFERA)

Country: Nigeria Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Please refer to the attached file. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Belgium support farming communities affected by protracted conflict, displacement and climate shocks in northeastern Nigeria Northeastern Nigeria – particularly Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States – continues to face a protracted humanitarian crisis driven by conflict, displacement, economic hardship and climate shocks. Without appropriate humanitarian assistance, nearly 6.4 million people are projected to experience Crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity (Cadre Harmonisé Phase 3 or above) during the lean season (JuneAugust 2026), including 10 277 people in Catastrophe (Phase 5) in Borno State. Rising food insecurity is closely linked to alarming levels of acute malnutrition, already classified as Critical (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification [IPC] Acute Malnutrition Phase 4) in several local government areas across Borno and Yobe, with further deterioration expected as the lean season progresses. Despite ongoing humanitarian efforts, major gaps persist in the recovery of agricultural livelihoods. Access to agricultural inputs, water and technical support remains critical for crisis-affected households to resume food production. However, the scale of needs and ongoing economic constraints in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe exceed the capacity of affected households and local systems, underscoring the need for sustained agricultural support. Through SFERA, Belgium has contributed USD 800 000 to FAO to support crisis-affected households in resuming food production and income-generating activities, thereby improving food availability and access, particularly during the lean season. The intervention will reach 10 500 households (73 500 people) in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, through an integrated support package structured around three complementary livelihood systems – dry season crop production, homestead gardening and fisheries – in line with FAO’s Emergency and Resilience Plan priorities. The intervention aims to enhance vulnerable households’ food security and nutrition, specifically increasing the proportion of households who achieve an acceptable food consumption score and improved dietary diversity, reflecting more stable access to diverse and nutritious foods. Food security coordination and analysis will also be strengthened through continued support to the Cadre Harmonisé, Food Security Sector coordination and disaster risk reduction capacities, enabling timely and evidence-based humanitarian and resilience programming
2026-08-06 11:03:13