For subsistence farmers in rain-scarce areas of the country, micro irrigation can make the difference between hand-to-mouth survival and being able to grow an agro-allied business. DANIEL ESSIET reports.
Farmers face the challenge of low yields nationwide. This is attributed largely to poor access to water, which forces them to rely mostly on rain-fed crops. In the North, farmers grow rain-fed staple crops such as millet, but enjoy a rainy season lasting between three and six months. Rainfall is highly variable, which makes the crops susceptible to climatic condition resulting in low returns.
The experience is not restricted to the North, it is the same in the South-West. It is one of the challenges of the Chief Executive of X-Ray Farms Consulting, Afioluwa Mogaji, popularly known as African farmer, who has always dreamt of the day he will escape a laborious farming life.
As a small holder farmer, water and labour shortages are Mogaji’s key challenges. Their absence result in hard toil. In the course of his business, Mogaji has met two kinds of farmers — those with access to irrigation and those without. The difference between the two is clear. Those with drip irrigation, or sprinklers invariably are reaping rich harvests and profits. But the vast majority of Nigerian farmers, fall into the second camp: they water their crops with water from wells or rivers.
These farmers seem to live from crop cycle-to-crop cycle. Their problem is water supply and the solution is irrigation. While the traditional irrigation control system is available, it is costly and complex. Though such system covers hectares of farmlands, it costs millions and so too expensive for farmers such as Mogaji. Besides, it is not economical for small farmers with few acres of farmland to purchase such systems. The promotion of low-cost, small-scale irrigation equipment could be the solution.
What won him over was a drip irrigation system designed for small farms like him.Apart from being three to four times cheaper than normal systems, low cost system increases crop yield, quality and consistency, while using less water per unit of land — benefiting farmers, consumers and the planet.
Also, the average purchase price is N100,000 or less. Mogaji, who bought some, said the advantage is that they are mobile and can be shifted from one field to the other. He said one system can work on one acre and move to the other after a few hours. He described them as shift able drip systems. They can last for as long as 12 years.
For farmers, irrigation represents a major expenditure of labour and time; some may spend more than half-a-day hauling water to farms. Providing them with a lower cost solution with increased efficiency, helps to bring down the cost of production to thousands of families and get them out of poverty. African farmers explained that micro irrigation is the way to go because it is affordable for farmers.
Mogaji said low-cost drip systems tailored to the needs of poor farmers have begun to spread. These include rain gun and bucket drip irrigation system. He added, however, that the system is limited to some extent. This is because it is best used on fields of one acre or less.
Compared to the high-tech systems that are so complex, he said the micro system are easy to use, adding that the technology allows farmers to customise irrigation to different parts of a single field.
He has experimented with micro irrigation equipment, which to his delight, cut by half, his effort and the quantum of water needed, while increasing the output from his farm.
In some cases, micro irrigation systems have reduced the amount of water needed to cultivate an acre of land by 50 per cent, and have been shown to improve yields by more than 40 per cent and offer input cost savings of about 30 per cent.
They also allow for year-round farming, which means that farmers don’t have to uproot families and migrate to other places during the dry season. The overall result has reduced dependence on flood irrigation and increased the opportunity for farmers to earn more steady incomes.
He has seen farmers whose fortunes have changed dramatically after installing drip-irrigation equipment as it helps them irrigate their land with far less water, and reap substantial increases in yields.
The Project Director, Cassava Adding to Africa (CAVA), Prof Kola Adebayo, told The Nation that there is need for farmers to use irrigation water to supplement rainfall in agricultural production systems. This must be determined by soil type and other factors.
His concern is that most small farmers who constitute the bulk of the farming production, cannot grow crops throughout the year due to insufficient rainfall and are unable to afford existing irrigation systems which are either too expensive or complicated to use.
He said however, that there are efficient low-cost small-scale irrigation technologies designed for farmers with land holdings of a hectare or less.
The technology, he explained, enables farmers to efficiently irrigate and grow crops and boost their farming income. In water-short areas, he said farmers can take advantage of micro irrigation system to increase their irrigated land area instead of reducing groundwater withdrawals.
For him, it is about yield and farmers are getting more crops per drop and at the same time applying less water to the field.
Irrigation advocate, Chidiebere Igbokwe, said farmers in Kano, Enugu, Plateau, Niger, Lagos, Osun, Abia and Ogun are using drip irrigation.
For example, he said there is an on-going a multi-hectare plantain plantation project in Enugu State that will use drip irrigation. Also in Jos, more small scale farmers are giving drip irrigation a trial.
On why many farmers are not using the drip irrigation kits on their farms despite its potential to increase output, Igbokwe said people tend to use what they know about.
His words: “In the absence of awareness of its existence or lack of knowledge about the ease of affordability, how can farmers put them to use? Some farmers do not know that there are smaller drip irrigation kits that they can apply to their small farms of say 100 square meters to even a hectare. Another reason is that some farmers cannot afford to pay as much as N50,000 at once to purchase a small kit without subsidy. Even in the government agricultural transformation agenda (ATA), you cannot see the display or mention of drip irrigation kits being introduced to farmers. Their concern is on large dam irrigation as if the programme was only for the briefcase farmers.”
He stressed that drip irrigation is very affordable. His words: “They are priced according to their specifications and area of coverage. You can get a kit as low as N25,000 and as high as N2 million. They come in sizes ranging from 30, 100,150,250,500,1000,2500 square meters to one hectare. For example a hectare drip irrigation solution for a plantain plantation can cost as low as N1.2 Million.” On whether it adds to the cost of production or making farming profitable, Igbokwe said the initial investment in drip irrigation could be recouped at the 1st season or as the venture goes on.
“Most drip kits which come as a complete package in a box excluding water storage tank last more than 10 years and needs little or no maintenance if the standard operating instruction by the manufacturers is followed. For example, a kit of N55-60,000 will cover a farm with 1500 stands of pepper plants which can yield 180,000 fruits @ 12 fruits per stand and at a net sales of N360,000.
With this picture you can see that it is very profitable to invest in drip irrigation kits. Do not forget that farming is not a magic money machine rather it’s an investment that must be followed till it starts yielding profit.”
If the government subside drip irrigation, he said farmers having small land holdings in rain-fed areas can raise crops and earn decent incomes.
For watchers, Nigeria is a fast-growing drip-irrigation market. There are concerns, however, that the pace of rapid agricultural growth could be undermined by plummeting levels of its water tables. Some farmers have abandoned their farm activities owing to shortage of labour and irrigation water.
With introduction of micro irrigation, a lot of farmers may revive farm activities and adopt modern agriculture practices to boost production.
Micro irrigation not only supply required quantum of water to crops but also prevent growth of weeds, and reduce labour in farm work.
Very limited labour force would be sufficient to man the farm till harvesting.
Experts are worried that Nigeria is wrestling with double-digit food price inflation, fuelled by a combination of higher input costs – including rising labour costs – and growing demand for higher-value food items by an increasingly affluent population. However, drip irrigation is a proven solution to both of these challenges.
