C’River Climate Change TWG, Agriculture Ministry Forge Alliance for Food Security
By Ebi COLLINS
The Cross River State Climate Change and Health Technical Working Group has intensified its advocacy for climate-smart policies, urging the Ministry of Agriculture to strengthen measures that protect food systems from the growing threats of climate change.
Receiving the delegation in Calabar, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Hon. Johnson Ebokpo, KSM, reaffirmed that climate action remains central to the state’s agricultural development agenda. He commended the Commissioner for Health and the Technical Working Group for amplifying conversations on climate change, stressing that the bulk of the Ministry’s work, whether in tree crop or arable crop development, is inherently tied to conserving and preserving the environment.
Ebokpo warned that Cross River is already witnessing the consequences of climate change, citing shortened rainfall patterns, uncontrollable pests, and crop diseases with unusual pathological features. He disclosed that Governor Bassey Edet Otu has introduced coffee as a new cash crop within the state’s agricultural ecosystem, designed with climate change adaptation strategies in mind.
To consolidate this vision, he announced that a Climate Change Committee will be established within the Ministry to ensure initiatives are mainstreamed and implemented effectively.
Earlier, the Technical Working Group, led by Mr. Asuquo Henry Eyibio, commended Governor Otu for his visionary leadership in setting up the State Climate Change Council. The group stressed that climate change is no longer just an environmental issue but also a health and food security challenge.
Highlighting hunger projections across Nigeria, Eyibio appealed for stronger institutional backing, resource mobilization, and climate-smart agricultural practices to safeguard farmers’ livelihoods and ensure resilience.
Both parties underscored the urgency of partnerships and statewide sensitisation to help farmers adapt to the realities of climate change. They agreed that with agriculture serving as the backbone of the state’s economy, collaboration between government and stakeholders is key to securing a climate-resilient future for Cross River.
