{"id":41307,"date":"2020-02-19T15:00:27","date_gmt":"2020-02-19T15:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/?p=41307"},"modified":"2020-02-24T10:37:27","modified_gmt":"2020-02-24T10:37:27","slug":"mysterious-seasons-harm-nigerias-farmers-need-help-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2020\/02\/19\/mysterious-seasons-harm-nigerias-farmers-need-help-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Mysterious’ seasons harm Nigeria’s farmers who need help with climate change"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michael Okorie, 54, wanders through a narrow muggy track on his way to his farm, wagging a cutlass and whistling some local Christian hymns. His tune makes him seem excited, but the expression on his face suggests subdued worries.<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the outset of yam planting season in February last year, he secured a loan of 60,000 Naira ($166) to make up his budget for yam farming. The loan came with a commitment to repay after harvest in a few months\u2019 time.<\/p>\n

He prepared nearby land and hired labourers to raise 316 heaps in readiness for the early rains of March that mark the start of the planting season. The rain softens the land so the yam tubers can take root and not dry up.<\/p>\n

But the rains didn\u2019t come in March, except for a few drops that quickly evaporated. Confused, Okorie planted in early April \u2013 praying his work would succeed.<\/p>\n

The rain came in May, but it was too heavy and frequent. Flash floods followed, submerging his farm, dissolving the ridges, and scattering the yam seedlings in the nearby bushes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lost a lot last year and got into heavy debt,\u201d says Okorie. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t this way in the past. Rain came in its time. Sunshine came in its season. Same as harmattan [seasonal winds]. But the seasons are becoming mysterious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Michael Okorie says rural farmers lack knowledge of how to deal with weather variability driven by climate change<\/p><\/div>\n

Okorie\u2019s experience mirrors that of millions of other farmers, suffering from a sudden twist in weather conditions. Farmers report the late onset of rains and dry spells, rises in temperatures, heavy downpours and other unseasonable weather events \u2013 all potential consequences of climate change.<\/p>\n

These changes have thrown out the normal seasons for planting, harvesting, weeding, applying fertilizers and storage.<\/p>\n

The cost, experts warn, could be very high \u2013 particularly against the backdrop of an expected population boom, with Africa\u2019s population set to double by 2050.<\/p>\n

Feeding the population right now are smallholder farmers like Okorie, who produce around 90% of food in Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, according to figures from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. The changing seasons and population growth will put an incredible pressure on the continent\u2019s food production.<\/p>\n

While times are tough, there are technological solutions on the horizon. The innovations can\u2019t come quick enough for Nigeria\u2019s farmers like Okorie, and those they feed.<\/p>\n

In many rural communities like Okorie\u2019s Ohofia, 40 kilometers from the southeastern state-city of Enugu, a blend of foresight, intuition, natural experience and \u2013 many believe \u2013 consultation with deities, has ensured survival for decades.<\/p>\n

In Nigeria, farming is largely based on natural conditions. Crops and livestock have their ideal weather and seasons. Okorie says he could look at the overcast sky and predict perfectly how the weather would go, and plan his farming activities accordingly. Information is key \u2013 shaping when to sow, store or reap.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause the natural conditions were perfect and predictable,\u201d says smallholder farmer of 40 years, Elizabeth Ukah, \u201cfarmers were in control of what came out of their seasons.\u201d Recent conditions mean there hasn\u2019t been any other time in her life that she felt so helpless about the outcomes of her farms, she says.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Elizabeth Ukah<\/p><\/div>\n

The farmers are working hard to adapt. When the weather started becoming mysterious, new farming, storage and farm practices were tested. The use of chemicals and fertilizers became widespread. Some left their crops longer in the ground. Others gambled with new planting, weeding and storage approaches.<\/p>\n

There were some short-term successes, but the results were inconsistent, says Ukah, so people still felt helpless. The risks associated with the changing seasons are enormous.<\/p>\n

A new study by Oxfam Nigeria<\/a> and the West Africa Network for Peace-building Nigeria (WANEP)<\/a> NGO has shown Nigeria\u2019s economic productivity could decrease by up to 11% by 2020 and up to 30% by 2050 as a result of climate change.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe truth is no farmers are safe in this land. We use to have enough harvest to feed our homes and sell abroad. But I am afraid that in the next ten years we may start importing food,” Okorie says.<\/p>\n

Experts warn that rural farmers are poorly equipped to adapt to climate change. Many still don\u2019t link the changing weather conditions to the climate crisis.<\/p>\n

For Sunday Mpu, a local rice farmer from Ohofia\u2019s neighbouring community, there can only be one explanation for all that\u2019s happening to the weather \u2013 the end of times when God promised punishment upon a sinful world.<\/p>\n

Other farmers agree, pointing to examples such as widespread conflicts and famine, as their pastor quotes from the book of Matthew nearby. \u201cWe are seeing the end of times\u201d says Mpu, a key member of a local Pentecostal church in Nigeria.<\/p>\n

Many farmers also think the solutions can only be spiritual.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is upon God to change control these things (the weather variations)\u201d says Ukah. \u201cFor man cannot say when it would rain or stop. Or when the sun should shine.\u201d<\/p>\n

In part due to these entrenched views, the transition from traditional to more scientific approaches in dealing with how the climate is changing have been slow.<\/p>\n

We need your help\u2026<\/b>\u00a0Climate Home News is an independent news outlet dedicated to the most important global stories. If you can spare even a few dollars each month, it would make a huge difference to us.\u00a0Our Patreon account<\/a>\u00a0is a safe and easy way to support our work.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Heavy dependence on nature driven agricultural practices \u2013 like rain-feeding crops \u2013 are the result of both a lack of alternatives and absence of technical know-how and infrastructure, according to Professor Balogun Ahmed of the Department of Meteorology and Climate Science at the Federal University of Technology, Akure<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This is because low-income groups, and rural communities lack access to \u201ccritical resources and decision-making processes,\u201d he says, leaving people with \u201cfewer options and more risk in the face of climate impacts.\u201d<\/p>\n

But there are some solutions on the horizon, with small-scale technology-focused programs already having some impact.<\/p>\n

Terrence Ovie is working to help both farmers and traders deal with post-harvest losses connected to climate change.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Terrence Ovie of ColdHubs inspects vegetables stored in cool temperatures at a market in Owerri, Nigeria<\/p><\/div>\n

His civil society organization, ColdHubs<\/a>, helps rural farmers avoid post-harvest losses. Ovie has created over 30 cold storage facilities \u2013 the \u2018cold hubs\u2019 after which the NGO is named \u2013 across markets and villages.<\/p>\n

Running on solar power, these storage facilities serve many smallholder farmers who can deposit their products for storage at low rate subscriptions, cutting post-harvest losses by 80% and extending the lifespan of fruits and vegetables from 2 to 21 days.<\/p>\n

Coldhubs also raises awareness around issues affecting farmers, providing a model to deal with losses associated with food storage issues linked to climate change.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe drive is to minimize the losses associated with farming at various food chain,\u201d says Ovie. \u201cThough it\u2019s difficult because local people are used to the old ways. It is like changing a culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two years ago, 28-year-old Abdul Aminu subscribed to Coldhubs at one of their stations at a vegetable market on the outskirts of Owerri, the capital city of Imo state, in south-eastern Nigeria. For a crate of fruit or vegetable, he pays a daily fee is 100 Naira (about 30 US cents).<\/p>\n

\u201cI lost a lot of money in the past. Now, I buy in larger quantities because there is a suitable storage facility in the market,\u201d says Aminu. \u201cI make twice the amount I could have gotten from my sales. The preservation facility allows me to avoid losses associated with panic sales, common with vegetables because of their short span.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Coldhubs is helping farmers cut post-harvest losses by 80 percent<\/p><\/div>\n

While private initiatives like Coldhubs are working, Professor Ahmed says reviving Nigeria\u2019s fortunes depends on a far more robust approach that would see the government partner the private sector in investing in climate adaption technologies, massive awareness programs, training for farmers, and addressing the underlying factors driving climate change.<\/p>\n

According to Ahmed, Nigeria needs to double \u201cinvestment in local capacity and infrastructure to support people harmed by climate impacts as they rethink or rebuild their lives and businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nigeria needs to \u201cdevelop new crop varieties, livestock breeds, and farm practices specifically designed to help farmers adapt to evolving climate realities,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Climatic realities that are changing by the year, and need many more innovations like Coldhubs to avoid farmers being left in the dust.<\/p>\n

\"\"

ColdHubs is helping farmers to store vegetables to keep them fresh<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

This article was produced as part of an African reporting programme supported by\u00a0Future Climate for Africa<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Smallholder farmers grow 90% of Nigeria’s food but their crops are vulnerable to ever more extreme weather linked to climate change. 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