Globally, the number of conflicts is increasing which is the main cause of much of the recent deterioration of the global food security situation. This situation is exacerbated by climate related shocks. Since 2009, a combination of man-made and natural disasters has disrupted livelihoods, threatened food security and forcibly displaced millions of people in northeast Nigeria. The conflict, in northeast Nigeria, takes on a central role in the ongoing food crisis by severely curtailing the ability of populations to access land and other natural resources such as woodfuel, the central object of this analysis. Access to energy is a precondition to food security, both are often highly constrained during crises. The ways in which energy is produced and used, can aggravate the vulnerability of populations to a number of risks and challenges by exposing them to malnutrition and other health conditions, reduced resilience to natural hazards and to environmental degradation, a disproportionate work burden for women, protection risks, conflicts and unsustainable livelihood activities. FAO, UNHCR and WFP have been promoting the multi-sectoral Safe Access to Fuel and Energy approach (SAFE) in the context of forced displacement to support an effective response and to contribute to building the resilience of vulnerable populations. The starting point of such a response in northeast Nigeria is this woodfuel supply and energy demand assessment, which provides a baseline for designing comprehensive interventions that take into account the energy needs of affected populations. The desired outcome of the SAFE approach is to “satisfy the fuel and energy needs for cooking, heating, lighting, and powering in a safe and sustainable manner, without fear or risk to health, well-being, and personal security of crisis affected populations”. The SAFE approach could make an effective and significant contribution to improve food security and nutrition, and ensure the sustainable management of natural resources. In addition, it will positively affect livelihoods, women and youth empowerment, protection and health risks. By taking adequate climate change mitigation and adaptation measures, the SAFE approach will also help to increase the resilience of vulnerable populations in the face of natural hazards and disasters, and contribute to peaceful coexistence between IDPs and local communities.

The evaluation assessed FAO's contribution to Nigeria from 2016 to 2022, focusing on national priorities for the agriculture sector and food systems, with a special lens on gender equality, leave no one behind principles, the humanitarian–development–peace nexus and climate change mainstreaming. FAO has supported the government in enhancing food and nutrition security, disaster risk reduction, resilience building and evidence-based policymaking. However, support for conflict-affected populations, climate change mainstreaming and sustainability remains uncertain. The evaluation recommends prioritizing flagship initiatives, engaging ministries, national actors and implementing a gender stocktaking exercise to identify those at risk of being left behind.

This invaluable book provides a broad and detailed introduction to the fascinating and hot research subject of transformation of biomass-related materials to biofuels. Biofuel production can be categorized into a variety of novel conversion and refinery development technologies. However, biomass recalcitrance is the biggest challenge blocking the way in biofuel conversion. This book provides an enlightening view of the frontiers in leading pretreatments, downstream enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation technology, corrosion issues in biofuel and merging biofuels technology into a pulp mill to pave the way for future large-scale biofuel production.

If not addressed in time, climate change is expected to exacerbate Nigeria’s current vulnerability to weather swings and limit its ability to achieve and sustain the objectives of Vision 20:2020 [as defined in http://www.npc.gov.ng /home/doc.aspx?mCatID=68253]. The likely impacts include: • A long-term reduction in crop yields of 20–30 percent • Declining productivity of livestock, with adverse consequences on livelihoods • Increase in food imports (up to 40 percent for rice long term) • Worsening prospects for food security, particularly in the north and the southwest • A long-term decline in GDP of up to 4.5 percent The impacts may be worse if the economy diversifies away from agriculture more slowly than Vision 20:2020 anticipates, or if there is too little irrigation to counter the effects of rising temperatures on rain-fed yields. Equally important, investment decisions made on the basis of historical climate may be wrong: projects ignoring climate change might be either under- or over-designed, with losses (in terms of excess capital costs or foregone revenues) of 20–40 percent of initial capital in the case of irrigation or hydropower. Fortunately, there is a range of technological and management options that make sense, both to better handle current climate variability and to build resilience against a harsher climate: • By 2020 sustainable land management practices applied to 1 million hectares can offset most of the expected shorter-term yield decline; gradual extension of these practices to 50 percent of cropland, possibly combined with extra irrigation, can also counter-balance longer-term climate change impacts. • Climate-smart planning and design of irrigation and hydropower can more than halve the risks and related costs of making the wrong investment decision. The Federal Government could consider 10 short-term priority responses to build resilience to both current climate variability and future change through actions to improve climate governance across sectors, research and extension in agriculture, hydro-meteorological systems; integration of climate factors into the design of irrigation and hydropower projects, and mainstreaming climate concerns into priority programs, such as the Agriculture Transformation Agenda.

Through the eyes of northern Nigerian Qur'anic students, this book explores what it truly means to be young, poor, and Muslim.

A rich and accessible account of Yoruba history, society and culture from the pre-colonial period to the present.