Farming communities and agricultural cooperatives across Nasarawa State have issued a passionate appeal to the Federal Government, urging a swift and decisive transition toward climate-smart agriculture to protect the nation’s fragile food security framework.
The call comes on the heels of erratic weather patterns marked by delayed rains, destructive mid-season dry spells, and localized flooding that have severely impacted crop yields throughout the North-Central food basket zone. Speaking through agricultural association representatives, the farmers stressed that traditional farming methods are increasingly ill-equipped to survive modern environmental shocks.
- The Climate Threat: Smallholder farmers highlighted how unpredictable downpours and prolonged dry spells are wiping out investments, leaving many rural households struggling to break even and fueling the spiraling cost of food items in urban markets.
- Demanding Practical Interventions: The stakeholders are pushing for federal and state ministries to ramp up the distribution of drought-resistant and early-maturing seed varieties, subsidize modern farming technology, and provide solar-powered irrigation systems to reduce reliance on seasonal rainfall.
- Bridging the Knowledge Gap: In addition to physical inputs, the farmers emphasized the need for real-time meteorological advisory services and robust agricultural extension programs to guide planting schedules at the grassroots level.
“If we want sustainable food production and lower inflation on food items, we must move past empty rhetoric and urgently embrace climate-smart practices from Abuja down to the rural farming clusters,” a spokesperson for the cooperative noted.
As agricultural experts and policymakers grapple with the compounding effects of climate change and economic hardship, the appeal underscores the urgent race to future-proof Nigeria’s agricultural landscape.
