Nigeria’s agricultural heartlands are increasingly threatened by land degradation and climate variability, with women smallholders disproportionately affected due to entrenched gender barriers. The Rooted Resilience project responds to this dual challenge by equipping 50 women in Lafia (Nasarawa State) to lead community-based ecological restoration. Using a proven model that integrates women-led agroforestry, cooperative enterprise development, and targeted advocacy, the project will restore 50 hectares of degraded land, strengthen 3 existing/newly formed women’s groups into resilient, formally‑structured cooperatives, and enhance food security and economic autonomy for participating households.

 

Designed with a built‑in exit and community ownership plan to ensure lasting impact, the initiative is implemented by WEP Nigeria in strategic partnership with Greenseed. Funding will catalyze the transformation of this local practice into a replicable national model for inclusive, women-led climate resilience and ecosystem stewardship through the establishment of a demonstration site with a Community Tree Seedling Nursery, vegetable farm on a solar-powered drip irrigation system that enable year-round climate-smart production.