A brainstorming session on the difficulties of climate change as it impacts farming in the country’s North-West geopolitical zone was held in Kaduna with no less than 500 farmers and agricultural professionals in attendance.
The meeting, according to Dr. Manzo Maigari, Director-General of the Nigerian Agribusiness Group, was to promote farming, particularly during the dry season to prevent crop loss from flooding.
He claims that players in the administration of the agriculture industry, young and female farmers, and others were brought together with the intention of raising awareness and educating them about the difficulties posed by climate change as it impacts farmers in Africa.
In an interview with journalists on the sidelines of the two-day workshop, Maigari, a former Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry under Governor Nasir El-rufai of Kaduna State, stated that the four-year project was fully funded by the Bill Gates Foundation with Nigerian Business Groups serving as collateral and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture serving as a partner in addition to the Kaduna State government.
The former commissioner went on to explain how he lost 500 hectares of his rice farm to this year’s flooding, saying that it would have cost N2 billion to replace it.
However, he pointed out that in order for farmers to protect their losses in the event of such natural calamities, it has become crucial to incorporate insurance companies in the farming industry.
He said, “I want to speak practically as an individual who had lost so much to flooding. I lost 500 hectares of rice farm to flooding this year, and not a single strand of the rice survived, and if you want to quantify it in terms of monetary value is not less than N2 billion.
“We also need to look at an alternative to rain season farming. So, if you do dry-season farming, you won’t experience flooding. And we need to look for varieties of crops, rice that can survive flooding, stay underwater for days without dying.”
In his earlier remarks on “Small Scale Climate Smart Crop Production,” Prof. Emeka Oruonye noted that in order to reduce poverty and achieve food security, more food crops must be grown, and small-scale farmers’ incomes must rise.
“Especially in this pandemic era, stakeholders in the agricultural space must join hands in maximising our numerous endowments to ensure that the desired economic growth is achieved.”
The greatest challenges facing farmers today, he continued, are how to meet the rising food demand, the instability of the climate, and the rise in the frequency of extreme weather events. He also noted that the viability of the production of food crops is being threatened by temperature changes.
The founder and chief executive officer of Pyrogenesys, Mr. Simon Ighofose, spoke on “Climate Smart Agriculture Technologies and Practice in line with Food Safety Standards and Grades” as well. He emphasized the significance of CSA and claimed that the production of biofuels and bioenergy remained some of its benefits.
