The German Government has launched the Carbon Offsetting Rice Emissions (CORE) Project to support 12,000 smallholder farmers in Benue, Nasarawa, and Kano States with climate-smart rice production.
German Ambassador to Nigeria, Annett Günther, represented by Deputy Head of Mission Johannes Lehne at the project inauguration in Abuja on Tuesday, said the three-year pilot (2024–2027) would cut greenhouse gas emissions from rice farming while strengthening sustainable value chains and preparing farmers to benefit from carbon markets.
The project, funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), will be implemented by GIZ in partnership with Olam Agri.
Farmers will adopt techniques such as alternate wetting and drying of rice fields and the use of biochar to improve soil health and reduce methane emissions.
Günther reaffirmed Germany’s commitment to climate finance, disclosing that BMZ, in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the EU, has committed €117 million to agriculture in Nigeria and the ECOWAS region.
Senior Presidential aide on Climate Change, Olamide Fagbuji, welcomed the initiative, noting that agriculture contributes 25% of Nigeria’s GDP but accounts for 33% of national greenhouse gas emissions, largely from rice paddies.
He stressed the need for innovation to address rising food insecurity and emissions.
