Federal Republic of Nigeria Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Staple Crop Processing Zones Support Project (scpz)

6.3 Enhancement of Positive Impacts and Reduction/Avoidance of Negative Impacts

6.3.1 Gender Mainstreaming and Vulnerability Assessment

Criteria used to assess Project-induced vulnerability include pre-Project poverty, household composition, income, food supply, housing, social support, and health. The criteria are used to establish household vulnerability relative to local conditions. Vulnerability thus becomes locally defined as those households that are recognized to be in a difficult situation against the background of general poverty in the area.

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  Participatory engagement techniques to confirm community perceptions of well-being and to identify at-risk households
  
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  Analysis of baseline data to identify at-risk households
  
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  Implementation of household monitoring surveys designed to reveal trends in social welfare (household composition, assets, sources of income, expenditures….)
  
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  Self-registration at offices of households that identify themselves as vulnerable or at risk; with all such registrations leading to an evaluation of that household by the project/investor team in order to assess the households’ vulnerability
  
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  Regular visits to all physically displaced households and any economically displaced households identified as vulnerable during resettlement planning and implementation processes to re-assess those households’ vulnerability. Such visits will occur at least once a quarter; and each visit will be recorded in the database flagging changes to indicators that are problematic
  

During the construction and subsequent operation and maintenance phases, it is inevitable that discharges of materials to the environment will occur. If these are not controlled, they may act as a source of environmental disturbance or nuisance.

The establishment of cassava schemes in on reserve or in off reserve areas may have both negative as well as positive impacts to the associated environment and ecosystem. These impacts can be a result of converting the diverse mixed forest tree species to monoculture stands.

As a matter of principle, encourage all farmers to use diverse agroforestry systems that can provide positive benefits in terms of productive outputs(fruits, leaves, etc) as well as other beneficial ecosystem services (nutrient recycling, etc). The selection of native species and the determination of how to increase biodiversity with spatial planting will also guarantee minimum impact on biodiversity, including wildlife and birds.
6.3.4 Forest Reserve Management and Water Body

As a matter of principle, adequate buffer zones shall be maintained around the periphery of the forest reserves and all water bodies. As portrayed in Fig 6.1, the Forest Reserves would have at least 1km buffer zone area where investment should not take place within the SCPZ/ABIR. Also, a 200m setback shall be created for all the major water bodies. Also set an agenda to assist as part of corporate social responsibility to replant the devastating forest reserve within the zone.

Fig 6.1: Indicative Buffer Zone for Sensitive zones within SCPZ & ABIR

6.3.5 Managing Pastoralist Conflicts

The committee will comprise the following persons drawn from across the spectrum of the different community levels including Ardo Fulani, Local traditional rulers, Agriculture office representatives, Local Government representatives, police, representatives of farmers; representatives of herders; and other respectable and influential personalities. In addition, the following mitigation measures are recommended:

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  Establishment of Grazing Reserves while the existing ones need to be gazetted and properly managed;
  
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  In order to encourage pastoralists to patronize the grazing reserves, pasture, veterinary and other supportive services should be provided;
  
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  Cattle routes should be surveyed, gazetted and protected; and
  
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  Night grazing by young boys and girls should be discouraged.