The ballroom at the Abuja Continental Hotels hummed with an unlikely mix of stilted PowerPoint clicks, the earthy smell of fresh potatoes,vegetables, etc, and the laughter of women trading across exhibition stands. For a few hours on a recent afternoon, the abstract language of climate resilience “adaptive capacity,” “soil fertility restoration,” “evapotranspiration” gave way to the plain, practical talk of farmers, youth entrepreneurs commending the ACReSAL project for touching lives.
The occasion was the ACReSAL Results Marketplace, a showcase of success stories and grassroots innovations from the Agro‑Climatic Resilience in Semi‑Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project. Convened by the project team with partners from government, research institutions and the Worldbank, the event gathered dozens of beneficiaries from across Northern Nigeria to demonstrate what’s changed on their farms and in their lives since ACReSAL began working in the 19 northern states and Abuja.
ACReSAL’s interventions have been practical and often low‑tech: and contour bunds that capture scarce rainfall; micro‑dams and rooftop rainwater harvesting for household use; improved, early‑maturing seed varieties; and training in post‑harvest handling and value addition. But the marketplace made clear that the impact goes beyond yields. Women’s savings and loans associations supported by the projects community Revolving Funds are investing in small processing equipment. Youth trained in value‑chain development are finding ways to turn subsistence crops into packaged goods for city markets.
Maryam stood in her crisply branded apron beside a small display of roasted groundnut paste, neatly packaged and labeled at the Gombe stand “We used to sell raw groundnuts for a pittance,” she said. “With simple processing and better storage, I’m earning three times what I used to. I employ two other youths from my village now.” Maryams’s start‑up began with a small loan from the Community Revolving Fund of ACReSAL and coaching on product packaging and basic bookkeeping.
The Results Marketplace deliberately centered those who often get left out of policy conversations. Women who had been given priority access to demonstration plots described how being able to grow vegetables year‑round changed their bargaining power at market.
Project leads the ACReSAL Task Team Leader Dr Joy Iganya Agene, The Practice Manager Ellysar Baroudy all emphasized that small changes in practice had made a difference when climate shocks arrived. “ACReSAL’s goal was never to create dependency,” said Mr Abdulhamid Umar, the project’s national coordinator, addressing the ACReSAL stakeholders. “It was to combine evidence‑based climate‑smart techniques with financial inclusion, market linkages and local institutions so communities can manage risk themselves.”
Research partners were visible at the marketplace
