As Nigeria continues to grapple with rapid deforestation and the devastating impacts of climate change, One Acre Fund Nigeria is ramping up its environmental intervention with the 2025 Trees Distribution Campaign, targeting the planting of 12.5 million tree seedlings across the country marking one of the most ambitious climate-smart agriculture efforts by a non-governmental organisation in the region.
In Kwara State, the programme will see 46,550 small holder farmers receive 1,303,400 fast-growing, income-generating tree seedlings, positioning the state as a key player in the national push for reforestation and rural climate resilience.
The 2025 campaign is a significant scale-up from last year’s reach. In 2024, One Acre Fund distributed 6.57 million trees to 243,465 farmers in Kwara, Niger, and Nasarawa States including 11,150 high-value trees (HVTs) like mango, cashew, and citrus directly benefitting over 2,600 farming families.
The trees not only regenerate degraded land but also diversify farmer income, with long-term benefits such as fruit harvests, timber sales, and improved soil fertility.
“This is more than a planting exercise it is a movement for rural empowerment and frontline climate action,” said a One Acre Fund representative.
Nigeria is losing its forest cover at an alarming pace of 350,000 hectares per year, a trend that threatens water sources, biodiversity, and the sustainability of the country’s food systems.
Small holder farmers who grow the bulk of Nigeria’s food are often the hardest hit by climate shocks like flooding, desertification, and erratic rainfall.
The One Acre Fund Trees Programme empowers these farmers to become climate defenders, offering Free, climate-resilient tree seedlings, On-farm technical support, Income-generation opportunities from high-value species, Carbon sequestration and environmental restoration
These trees reduce erosion, improve farm yields, and help communities withstand the effects of a changing climate all while unlocking new sources of revenue.
Kwara State as a Green Beacon
With over 1.3 million trees expected to be planted in 2025, Kwara is emerging as a national leader in community-driven reforestation.
The initiative aligns with state and federal climate action priorities, including food security, environmental protection, and sustainable agriculture.
One Acre Fund’s message is clear: reforestation is not just a climate strategy it is a development strategy.
By putting trees in the hands of farmers, the organisation is transforming vulnerable communities into hubs of environmental restoration and resilience.
By Dare Akogun
