Increasing the yield of important crops such as yam is crucial to ensure food security and livelihood. However, unpredictable rainfall and higher temperatures have contributed to reduced yam harvests. In this report, JUSTINA ASISHANA highlights the multi-faceted challenges faced by yam farmers in Niger State; encompassing issues related to climate, security and access to essential resources.
Yam farming has been a vital source of livelihood and sustenance for farmers across Niger State. The state is one of the significant yam-producing states in Nigeria. It produces over 2.3 metric tons of yams, representing more than 10 per cent of the entire annual yam produced in Nigeria.
Yams serve as a staple food in many tropical and even sub-tropical countries. Niger State supplies yams in large quantities to many parts of Nigeria, including Lagos, Ekiti, Oyo, Kano, and Warri. The yams are also exported for revenue earning.
Nevertheless, in recent years, farmers such as Comfort Iowo, a resident of Chachanga Local Government Area have been disappointed by low yields caused by unpredictable weather. Yams need consistent and sufficient rainfall for optimal growth and development. Comfort said she planted 1,500 heaps of yams but only harvested 800, unlike previous years when she would harvest as much as 1,400 heaps of yams.
“The harvest from my yam farm is very poor. The low yield was caused by the inclement weather, lack of fertiliser and insecurity.
“Sometimes, we are scared to enter the farm. The size of the yam was average. I did not get big yams last year, unlike the previous one when most of the yams from my farm were large. We are hoping for a better crop this year,” she said. However, she is not very hopeful as the farming seasons are progressively unpredictable.
Of the 11 cultivated species of dioscorea (yams), three —dioscorea rotundata (white yams), dioscorea alata (water yam), dioscorea cayenensis (yellow yams)—are economically significant in Nigeria. Yam is usually propagated through the use of small whole tubers (seed yam) or cut pieces of tuber (setts).
“Ware yam” is a term derived from West African languages used to describe yams that can be eaten soon after harvesting without undergoing a lengthy storage process. They are an important source of food in yam-growing areas and are often characterised by their relatively higher moisture content compared to yams intended for storage.
In contrast, “seed yams” or “sett yams” are specifically selected and preserved for planting in the next growing season. They have desirable characteristics and are stored to ensure their viability as planting material.
While yams are an important food and cash crop, harvests have been affected by erratic weather patterns. For maximum yield, yam requires an annual rainfall of over 1500 millimetres distributed uniformly throughout the growing season.
However, historical data from the World Bank shows that annual rainfall in Niger State has hovered below 1500 millimetres since 2011, and data from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency predicted a moderate dry spell for up to 15 days from May to August 2022 over parts of Adamawa, Benue, Kogi, Ekiti, Kwara, Niger, FCT, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi and Gombe.
The farming community rejoiced as early rains arrived in 2023, a contrast with the previous year’s unfruitful season when delayed and inadequate rainfall during the critical growing stages of plant growth affected the germination of yams, leading to smaller tubers and reduced harvests.
Some farmers said certain yam seeds did not germinate, leading to significant losses. When the rains eventually came, the downpour caused flooding, which swept away the crops; resulting in huge losses.
For Aisha Usman, a yam farmer in Maikunkele in Bosso Local Government Area, the 2022 yam harvest proved to be her most challenging. The harvest from her one-hectare yam farm produced undersised tubers that were unsuitable for sale. She was forced to turn some of her harvests into seed for this year’s planting as she did not have enough money to buy seed.
She has not been able to access the subsidised fertiliser due to the bureaucratic process involved.
Last month (August 6) Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago announced he had approved a 20 per cent subsidy on 600 tons of fertiliser delivered to the state. Each 50kg bag is sold at N18,000, far below the N24,000 to N30,000 price in the market. The subsidised fertiliser is, however, only available at designated stores across the state.
The onset of rainfall starts late and evens when the beginning and retreat of rains are on time, crop-growing seasons are often disrupted by short or prolonged periods of unusually low or no rainfall.
Whenever there is a low volume of rainfall during the March/April/May season, the overall yam yield for the year will be adversely affected, thereby reducing farmers’ income.
The direct effects of climate change are increased temperatures, reduced precipitation, reduced length of growing season, and changes in the timing of critical threshold stages vital to crop development.
For example, yams undergo two phases namely growth and dormant phases. The growth phase occurs for about six to 10 months depending on the species and then slows down for two to four months.
The slowing down process is the dormant phase. The phases occur in the wet and dry seasons, respectively. The unpredictable rain means that farmers risk losing their crops either due to lack of rain during the planting season or too much rain when the yams are in the dormant stage.
Flooding is a primary cause of food insecurity. This is because it sweeps away farms, destroys crops and is one of the significant reasons the majority of Nigerian smallholder farmers are still poor. Unpredictable weather has been identified as one of the issues preventing the United Nations 2030 goal of achieving substantial improvement in the lives of rural dwellers.
Nigerian smallholder farmers such as Comfort and Aisha are vulnerable because they lack the infrastructure to mitigate extreme weather conditions.
Invasive weeds, pests and fungi are part of climate change effects that affect crop yields. They thrive in warmer temperatures with increased carbon dioxide levels and wetter climates.
On average, farmers spend over N11 billion annually to control weeds. The cost is likely to rise as invasive weeds and pests are likely to expand with warmer temperatures. The increased use of pesticides and fungicides harms human health as they eventually find their way into rivers and other waterways.
Yams are agronomic, annual rain-fed crops that grow for six to 12 months; depending on the cultivar, ecology and soil properties in the production area.
The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) puts world yam production at about 30 million tons annually with 90 per cent grown in the yam production belts of West Africa.
According to ONE, the frequency of droughts in Sub-Saharan Africa tripled in 2010-2019 compared to the 1970-1979 rainy season. The organisation stated that African countries now bear the brunt of the impacts of climate despite not having caused or benefitted from causing climate change. It states that the African Continent is currently facing its 152nd drought since 2000.
Many climate-vulnerable countries have also been the most impacted by rising food costs and conflict.
Insecurity threatens yam production
Security is another factor that causes grave concern for yam farmers. Banditry and insecurity have cast a shadow over farming communities, leaving farmers such as Luca Tanko and Abubakar Saddiq grappling with both climate-induced hardships and fears about safety.
Banditry stems from nearly four years of ongoing conflicts among settled cultivator communities and nomadic herders who roam the high plains of specific local government areas, including Rafi, Rijau, Wushishi, Mashegu, and Kontogora, Shiroro, Bosso, Muye, and Paikoro.
Banditry arose in Shiroro council around 2017 and escalated in 2020, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Shiroro council has become a focal point for banditry in Niger State; with a significant presence of bandit leaders based in the region.
There are currently two types of bandits in the North, namely those who abduct for ransom and sometimes kill their victims despite being paid the ransom and the herdsmen who struggle for space with the farmers.
The former are more prevalent in Niger State than the latter. To this end, the presence of bandits (who have been classified as terrorists by the government) in farming areas has disrupted the agricultural activities of many farmers. Some farmers accessed their farms but did not harvest their crops due to safety concerns.
Luca Tanko, whose farm is in Shiroro Local Government Area, said his yield was poor after planting 3,000 heaps of yams.
“My farm is located in Shiroro Local Government Area. I planted over 3,000 heaps. The harvest could have been better. But the rains did not come on time and people removed and ate the seeds we planted.
“I harvested just half of what l had planted. Some of the yams did not even germinate at all. The previous year, there was a bountiful harvest because there was sufficient rain,” he said.
Many of them cannot return to their farms for harvest because of the fear of being abducted or killed by terrorists.
Insecurity is rife in the major yam-producing local government areas of Shiroro, Rafi, Munya, Paikoro, Bosso, Wushishi and Mariga. In recent years, many farmers have been killed and kidnapped with thousands displaced, disrupting the production and supply chain.
Abubakar Saddiq, another farmer in Paikoro Local Government Area highlighted how insecurity affected his yam farming. The impact of insecurity on yam production was exacerbated by diminishing yields, contributing to a decline in the supply of yams and a subsequent crash in prices.
This compounded the economic hardships faced by yam farmers, prompting calls for government intervention to provide affordable fertilisers and improve security conditions.
“I am in Paiko and there are some parts in Paikoro that people cannot farm. Some villages in Lapai and Paikoro are affected.
“The security situation has improved slightly this year and attacks are not as rampant as last year. Last year, some people didn’t harvest their yams because of insecurity and they lost their crops as they rotted in the fields,” he said.
The Chairman of Jere Yam Market in Paikoro Local Government Area, Alhaji Audu Doma noted that the insecurity in the region has led to the scarcity and high cost of yam seedlings due to the sustained banditry attacks on yam-producing communities.
Last year, in some markets across Niger State, 10 tubers of yam cost N10,500, while in previous years, it cost N5,000 or N6,000; depending on the sizes.
A visit to the Kodobe Market showed that 10 tubers of yam sold between N12,000 and N15,000.
Currently, there is no research on the effect of insecurity on farmers.
Farmers face a hard time recouping their investments
Poor harvests have resulted in a crash in the price of yam. A spot check in significant yam markets, including Paiko, the headquarters of Paikoro Local Government Area, Kasuwa Gwari and Gwadabe Markets in Minna, the state capital revealed that the price of the commodity crashed by over 30 per cent. Yam supply is also not sufficient to meet high demand.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the price of a yam tuber has increased between June 2022 and June 2023 from an average of N384.48 to N510.77.
In 2022, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ernest Umakhihe stated that although Nigeria is the leading producer of fresh yams, the country exports less of the product; which means it is unable to meet the demand for yams.
In July, the Niger State Government made available fertilisers to be sold at a subsidised price of N18, 000 which is lower than the N28, 000 in the open market. The government also pledged to provide additional farming tools.
However, due to cumbersome procedures, many yam farmers have found it impossible to access subsidised fertiliser and have to buy from the open market; resulting in high production costs.
Various stakeholders, including government agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local communities are taking several actions to mitigate the challenges of climate change in yam production.
Some strategies adopted by farmers to mitigate the effects of climate change included multiple cropping, where farmers grow yams and other crops such as maize on the same land at the same time rather than just one crop throughout the growing season.
Growing the same crop year after year reduces the availability of certain nutrients and degrades the soil.
Inter-cropping enhances the land’s yield and promotes climate resilience through higher plant resource efficiency and natural suppression of pests. This is so because as more crops are grown, the benefits and money increase as well.
Aware of climate variability, some yam farmers have been responding to these changes through the use of adaptation practices such as irrigation, mixed cropping, changing the planting dates, fertiliser application and the use of organic manure, mulching and tree planting to provide shade and minimise water loss and planting drought-tolerant and disease-resistant yam varieties.
Other strategies included training farmers on new and improved planting approaches such as the yam minisett technique, which involves cutting up a yam tuber into many small pieces to enable the production of up to 20 yams from one seed yam, efficient water management and post-harvest practices.
Investments in rural infrastructure, such as water storage facilities and irrigation systems to ensure a more reliable water supply for yam cultivation, especially during periods of low rainfall, providing farmers with accurate weather forecasts and early warning systems would enable them to make informed decisions about planting and harvesting times and avoid losses due to unexpected weather events.
The government and other stakeholders should support climate change adaptation initiatives that are driven by local communities. They should encourage them to participate in developing policies that are context-specific and in tandem with the needs and priorities of the farmers.
Improving market access for yam farmers can alleviate post-harvest losses and enhance their income. Strengthening the yam value chain through proper storage and adoption of on-farm value-addition activities such as yam flour processing and transportation contributes to overall food security.
In the light of unpredictable weather, theft and insecurity, yam farming in Niger State faces numerous challenges.
The experiences of local farmers underscore the urgency for government action to address these issues.
By offering accessible fertilisers, enhancing security and investing in agricultural research, the government can bolster yam farming, enhance productivity and ensure regional food security.
Empowering the local farming community will strengthen the economy and improve overall well-being in Niger State.
•This piece was produced as part of the Aftershocks Data Fellowship (22-23) with support from the Africa Women’s Journalism Project (AWJP) in partnership with The ONE Campaign and the International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ).
