The Federal Government, through the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), has launched a Youth Agroforestry and Climate Action Campaign in Kwara State, as part of efforts to promote food security, environmental sustainability and youth participation in climate action.

The campaign, implemented under NALDA's Green Hope Project, was launched at Oke-Onigbin in Isin Local Government Area following the completion of its first phase, which saw about 5,000 economic trees planted across four locations nationwide.

Speaking during the tree-planting exercise on Wednesday, the Special Assistant on Projects to the NALDA Executive Secretary, Salman Ibrahim, said the Federal Government had approved the planting of an additional 56,000 economic trees across the remaining 34 Open-Field Horticulture Clusters nationwide.

Ibrahim, who represented the NALDA Executive Secretary, Cornelius Adebayo, said about 400 youths had participated as volunteers and climate advocates during the first phase.

He said the second phase would involve more than 2,000 youths, who would participate in tree planting and promote climate action within their communities.

"The Executive Secretary has given the approval for us to proceed with another 56,000 trees across the remaining 34 clusters. This phase will also bring more than 2,000 young people into the programme so that they can participate in the planting exercise and take the message of climate action back to their communities," he said.

According to him, NALDA currently operates about 38 Open-Field Horticulture Clusters across the country, covering more than 500 hectares, with individual clusters ranging from five to 20 hectares.

He explained that the economic trees were being integrated into the agricultural clusters to serve as natural perimeter fencing while providing food, restoring the environment and creating additional sources of income for farmers.

"The trees are not being planted simply for beautification. They will serve as natural perimeter fencing for our horticulture clusters, while also providing food, restoring the environment and creating another source of income for the farmers," Ibrahim said.

He listed mango, avocado, coconut and fig among the tree species being planted, noting that they would complement the cultivation of tomatoes, pepper, okra and other crops within the horticulture clusters.

Ibrahim added that NALDA was exploring partnerships with relevant climate institutions to register and verify the trees for possible carbon-credit opportunities.

He said the youths, known as Green Hope Ambassadors, would be expected to promote environmental responsibility and sustainable practices beyond the tree-planting exercises.

The campaign, he added, forms part of NALDA's broader commitment to food security, youth empowerment, environmental sustainability and climate action, with the authority targeting the planting of one million economic trees by 2030.

He further explained that the Open-Field Horticulture component of the Green Hope Project would create agricultural opportunities for women, who would have access to productive farmland and benefit from the fruits produced by the trees as they mature.

Also speaking, the Senior Assistant Technical to the NALDA Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Olusegun Owolabi, described the initiative as an extension of the authority's Open-Field Horticulture Programme, one of the three components of the Green Hope Project.

He said the programme was designed to increase food production while creating economic opportunities and restoring vegetation in areas being developed for agricultural purposes.

Owolabi noted that the trees would provide long-term benefits to host communities, including natural farm boundaries, biodiversity, carbon sequestration and improved environmental conditions.

He added that NALDA would continue to monitor and support the horticulture clusters after the planting exercises, with trained farmers expected to manage the farms and nurture the newly planted trees.

The tree-planting campaign follows NALDA's wider implementation of the Green Hope Project in Kwara, under which about 700 women from horticulture clusters in Iponrin, Tsaragi, Asa, Oke-Onigbin, Ijara Isin, Esie, Ilale and Moro have received training in modern horticultural production techniques.

With 5,000 trees already planted and another 56,000 approved for the next phase, NALDA is expanding its agroforestry programme as part of efforts to combine agricultural production with environmental restoration, youth participation and climate resilience.