The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Lagos State chapter, has called for increased financing for irrigation to enable farmers to cultivate crops throughout the year and boost food production.
The AFAN Lagos State Chairman, Sakin Agbayewa, made the call in an interview with journalists on Wednesday in Lagos.
Agbayewa urged farmers to move away from dependence on rain-fed agriculture and embrace irrigation farming, noting that changing weather patterns had made planting seasons increasingly unpredictable.
“We have a rain-fed agriculture system and most farmers have no capital to adopt irrigation solutions or technology.
“There is nothing our farmers can do to ensure all-year-round farming without proper irrigation systems. Farmers have to wait for the rain before they commence cultivation.
“However, with current climate change realities, planting is no longer predictable,” he said.
According to him, the ongoing August break had further disrupted the traditional farming calendar, making it difficult for farmers to determine when to plant and harvest.
“As we speak, we are in the August break, which started in the middle of July, and we are still in it right now.
“We don’t know when it’s going to end. And if the rain comes back, you might even be seeing the rain till December.
“That is another shift again in the cultivation timetable,” Agbayewa said.
The chairman said Nigeria’s dependence on rain-fed agriculture had contributed to the perception that certain crops were seasonal, arguing that irrigation could enable farmers to produce crops beyond traditional planting periods.
“Who told us that these crops are seasonal? There is no research that says some crops are seasonal.
“However, because most local farmers practise rain-fed agriculture due to a lack of finance, technological know-how or technological advantage, we have decided that there are seasonal crops,” he said.
Agbayewa called on the government to provide financial support that would enable farmers to establish irrigation systems and adopt appropriate technologies for year-round production.
“I would advise that we should begin to think out of the box and do all-year-round planting once we have the capacity to do it.
“We can create our own water irrigation system if the government comes to the aid of local farmers financially,” he said.
The AFAN chairman said about 70 per cent of Nigeria’s farming population comprised subsistence farmers, while the remaining 30 per cent were commercial farmers.
He added that women accounted for about 80 per cent of subsistence farmers, compared with 20 per cent for men, highlighting the need for more accessible financing for smallholder farmers.
“So, how many farmers have the financial capacity to go for irrigation?
“The government should come into it and talk to the banks, or have specialised institutions that will handle irrigation financing for farmers,” Agbayewa said.
He suggested that farmland could be used as collateral to help farmers access loans for irrigation equipment and other production technologies.
“Our lands can serve as collateral for us, so farmers will be able to access irrigation equipment and increase their production.
“With proper irrigation systems, Nigeria will be able to have all-year-round crop cultivation while addressing food insecurity,” he said.
