Climate-Change Community Tracker Fellowship – Cohort 1

Climate change continues to play a major role in escalating farmer–herder conflicts across Apa and Agatu local governments in Benue State. Limited crisis communication and a lack of accessible information have further deepened tensions and misunderstandings among communities.

To address this challenge, we launched the Climate-Change Community Trackers Fellowship, a program designed to equip local voices with the skills necessary to bridge information gaps, strengthen peacebuilding efforts, and amplify community stories.

This fellowship trained community journalists, microbloggers, students, and activists from across the two local governments. Participants gained practical skills in storytelling, mediation, climate communication, and conflict-sensitive reporting, empowering them to highlight underreported issues and support grassroots peace efforts.

A total of 17 Climate-Change Community Tracker Fellows were trained. Each fellow produced five multimedia projects addressing themes such as peace, conflict, climate change, and community mediation. These creative outputs helped raise awareness and spark vital conversations within local communities.

Beyond their projects, every fellow implemented a community transformation initiative, working with young people, community groups, and other stakeholders to promote peacebuilding, mediation, climate awareness, and responsible storytelling.

Collectively, these efforts reached over 2,000 people across Apa and Agatu, strengthening local capacity for peace and resilience in the face of climate-related conflict.

Through this fellowship, we are building a network of informed, empowered community voices who are shaping a more peaceful and climate-resilient Apa–Agatu.