Environmental policy and administrative management

InuguOmono has many Farmers groups and five Hunters groups. It is located in the upper Bassa Local Government Area of Kogi State. To get there is through the Igala Land- axis of the State, or by boat crossing the River Benue through Nasarawa State and about 20km from the Benue River bank. It is 99% a Bassa- Kwomu speaking community with an estimated population of 15, 000, with several clans.The many activities of the local communities like bush burning, tree felling and fuel wood collection for sale and domestic cooking have resulted in fertile agricultural land being destroyed. The lack of mixed farming and wider variety of mixed cropping gives no mitigation on Land degradation. Hunting is also very aggressive especially during the dry season with bush burning which has been sustained through the years and has become an important means of livelihood. Vegetation covers are therefore being damaged and crop yields reducing. The only cultivated crops are cereals and tuber crops. The community members are desirous of reclaiming their land because it could be used for agricultural purposes. The question is that since OFUD cannot 100% prevent the community members from using their local resource, OFUD has resolved, having received in written form donated land from Benjimen Kaura & Yizekwi Gata, to help them reclaim 12 hectares degraded lands with the planting of 2,000 economic trees (palm , plantain, banana and citrus), Sensitization campaigns towards forest regeneration; training of 250 volunteers (youths, women(including widows) on solar cooker construction with locally sourced materials and fish culture respectively; provision of alternative means of livelihood with the construction of 1 fish pond for fish production activities

Nigeria