Environmental degradation and the negative impacts of climate change are greatly impacting farming activities and leading to food crisis in developing countries due to low food production. Northeast Nigeria is not an exception as the level of hunger and food scarcity tend to be more acute due to the crisis; there is an urgent need to increase food production. To curb the crisis, people in Northeast are resorting to various counter strategies like gardening to meet the growing demand and to avert food insecurity and famine while improving their livelihood options.
To boost the people’s gardening efforts, UNDP through the Support for Reconciliation and Reintegration project, funded by the European Union distributed gardening equipment and seeds to the conflict-affected communities. This was done in a bid to encourage local food production, income earning and climate resilient practices.
Most of the beneficiaries live in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp across Borno State, where they are encouraged to use the empty lands around them as food gardens. The following items were distributed among 500 people in Pulka and Konduga communities in Borno State: Okra, sorrel, amaranths, cabbage, roselle, pepper, onion, and lettuce seeds, N.P.K fertilizer, hand hoe and watering cans. The beneficiaries were also trained on agronomic practices, pest and disease control, water management, recycling, harvesting, storage, and marketing of their goods.
Binta’s food business took a nosedive when the insurgency started. She lost some of her properties and her customers too as people fled the town to nearby communities for safety. It became difficult for her to take care of herself and family as her husband lost his businesses to the insurgency as well. With the gardening inputs support, Binta started a mini garden in her backyard where she cultivates vegetables like lettuce, amaranths, cabbage, and onions.
| Binta Usman
“When I received the inputs last year, I have already harvested twice. I sold some and used the rest in my home. With the gains from the sales, I have bought additional seeds and I was able to enroll my children in school and take care of my home”.
Binta has been able to get some of her neighbors to practice gardening. For her and her family, it will help reduce hunger and the gains from her vegetable business will sustain her family.
For 27 years old Usman Ibrahim, the crisis has cost him so much. At an early age of 17, Usman learned few skills that propelled him to establish his own iron bending business. His shop was burnt down when the insurgents attacked his town, he lost everything and has since not fully recovered from that loss.
| Usman Ibrahim
“Some losses are not easy to recover from, you can only strive to build back your life and that is what UNDP has assisted me with. I never knew that I could love gardening. When they gave us the equipment and training, I decided to take it seriously and right now I have harvested like four (4) times. I am currently working towards expanding the garden and encouraging other people to embrace gardening”.
For eight years, Zainab has been living in the IDP camp in Konduga town with her husband and four (4) children. When her town was attacked, Zainab and her family fled to the camp for safety abandoning their farms and properties. Zainab was a farmer prior to the insurgency attack. When she arrived at the IDP camp, she begun farming in unused land inside the camp. With the support from European Union and UNDP, she was able to plant a variety of vegetables to help sustain herself and her family.
| Zainab Modu
“Apart from the money we get from the sales of our produce, gardening is helping people in the camp to put good food on their table. Before this intervention vegetables like lettuce and cabbage are out of reach and can only be bought from Maiduguri town which comes at a high price. But now, we have them in our backyards," said Zainab.
Aja Mallum has been staying in the IDP camp for about nine (9) years. In those years, providing the basic needs for his family has been a hassle which has led him to incur debts while struggling to make ends means. Aja was a thriving businessman until the insurgency struck his village, all his properties were burnt to the ground, he fled his town with his family with only the clothes they wore on the day of the attack.
| Aja Mallum
With the gardening equipment support, he started cultivating in a space near the camp with his wife and children; they are succeeding gradually. With the income from his produce, he has been able to clear most of his debts.
“This support came at the right time. In the camp, people find it hard support themselves financially or to eat proper meals, some can barely afford one meal per day. But now everyone is encouraged to start up gardening in any free land in and close to the camp, they can sell some of the produce and use the rest at home,” said Aja.
The support for Reconciliation and Reintegration project is jointly implemented by IOM, UNICEF and UNDP and seeks to support the State Governments of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe to enhance community preparedness for reintegration, reducing rejection and stigmatization and preparing the ground for community-based healing and reconciliation. UNDP implemented components empowers communities, towards achieving sustainable peace by building cohesive, and inclusive communities while also addressing some of the conflict’s underlying drivers such as food insecurity.
© 2026 UNDP NIGERIA
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