Farming picks up as rains intensify

After weeks of waiting for rain amidst waning hopes, farmers in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, are now tilling the ground for perhaps already belated farming activities.

As if the firmament and the earth engaged each other in a fierce battle, rain that often links the two together disappeared for months, when traditionally, rain water was supposed to have sunk deep beneath the soil.
Until recently, most of the crops that were hurriedly planted with the first set of rains in April this year had withered, stirring fears of food crisis in a city touted to be one of the fastest-growing on earth. Between April and early July this year, rain did not fall more than three times in most Abuja communities.

And, more amazing is the fact that virtually all rains have since been falling in the morning! Since the rain has been falling, various crops have been springing up on the farms, as farmers dared most of the morning downpours to sow their seeds.

Almost one-third of estimated three million people living in the FCT are farmers. Farm exists everywhere along the highways, in the city, even in compounds of Ministers! Yet, many residents believe government’s policy on land use does not favour farming, as many undeveloped sites that could be used for farming lie fallow.

In a typical year when rain falls as expected within May and late October in Abuja, the population of the city notwithstanding, there is usually surplus food to eat and export to neighbouring states namely Nasarawa, Niger, Kaduna and Kogi.

Crops like yam, maize, millet, garden egg, guinea corn among others are planted in large quantity, especially by the original inhabitants, the Gbayis and Gwaris. Even though it is becoming less popular across the country, with increasing calls on government to resuscitate it, explore its potentials for massive job creation opportunities and de-emphasize rush for white collar jobs, Abuja remains one of the states in Nigeria where land is cultivated in large quantity for farming.

Surprisingly, only a few farms in the nation’s capital are mechanised. Two things work in favour of subsistence farming in the city. First, there is vast arable land, fertile for both mono-cropping and mixed cropping.

The land is also only good for annual crops, thus encouraging most residents who are on transit to farm and probably harvest their crops before being redeployed to other parts of the nation. Despite the passion people in Abuja has for farming, many factors discourage them from engaging in it.

Apart from the Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC, where virtually all government institutions are located and governance taking place, many communities in other five area councils in the city namely Abaji, Bwari, Kwali, Gwagwalada and Kuje cannot boast of basic amenities such as good roads, power supply, water among others that could help farming. Most crops waste on the farms because there are no good roads to bring them home.

Hyped irrigated farming programmes of government are virtually non-existent in the city while storage facilities for farm products are lacking. A 58-year-old father of four, resident and farmer in the city puts his experience thus: “We are not encouraged by government to farm.

When you hear government say it has released this or that billions of naira to farmer, don’t believe them; the money is shared among them to enable them start or boost their own farms. It doesn’t get anywhere near people like us.

We already know that we cannot benefit from any of such funds, except our “Baba” who has promised us change truly changes the situation for us.
“All we are begging them to do for us is that they should allow us to use our land to farm when they are not ready to use it. Originally, the land belongs to us. But, our constitution has made it the possession of the government. We agree. But, they should allow us to keep farming on them when they are not ready yet to build on them.

“If for instance a Minister or any government official takes a land from us, you see such a Minister remove our crops and the land will remain there for a long period. And, we would have to go into far places to look for land.

“Baba” should help us look into this,” he pleaded. He also appealed to government to put in place basic amenities that would make life more comfortable for the farmers and other residents of satellite communities in the city.