When agriculture is mentioned, what readily comes to mind is the production of crops and animals. Agriculture is a viable enterprise in a nation like Nigeria. It can be done on a scale to one’s capacity and available time. Anyway, it is not a romantic affair; it calls for hard work and commitment.
Agriculture has advanced and kept up with the times through research and development that has come up with varieties and cultivars of crop species and breeds of animals. Of the crops, the new cultivars are highly sensitive to soil nutrient status and soil moisture regime. Soil fertility implies the in situ manure and inorganic components of the soil that can provide the nutrients to meet the demand of crops. The natural status of the soil nutrients is readily depleted after a season’s cropping. Therefore, to continue to use the same piece of land, it is necessary to apply organic manure, inorganic fertilisers and other micronutrients to enhance soil fertility.
Nigeria is still importing inorganic fertilisers after many decades of the first massive importation in megatons that was largely wasted because the people had not been acquainted with its use. Now, the farmers want it, but it is out of reach to them. Is it not high time that the country became self-sufficient in the production of fertilisers? It is not what the farmers can do by their own individual effort. It is up to the big corporations and government to build the manufacturing factories.
We must look forward to improved agriculture, specifically the American system. America has a very small number, about one and a half percent of its total population, in farming. Yet, that size is able to feed the whole nation and have excess to send to the rest of the world. That involves maximisation of yield through intensity of land utilisation and efficiency of production.
It is not the size of the farm that is important in the case of Nigeria; it is the efficient use of it. In Nigeria, our culture of farming is one of subsistence, and the farmers are content with just a small-sized farm they can cope with and will meet the family’s need for arable crops. In truth, subsistence farming is not what can feed the nation to its full belly.
Considering the situation of the nation in present times, the peasant farmers bear the brunt of feeding the nation. Rural farm work is manual. Labour to employ is scarce, and where available, it is very expensive. For all the farmers’ intense and laborious exertion, they have nothing to show for it. They are ripped off by the middlemen, who in turn live fat while the farmers wallow in poverty. Thus, the younger generation despises farming. Farm work is done out of interest or if there is nothing else to do.
In Japan, every available space is at a premium. They make use of the rooftop, exemplifying the Hanging Garden of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. We are used to flowers in pots. There are grow bags. These can be used to grow leafy vegetables, tomatoes and peppers. There is also hydroponics. This is a method of growing plants in a water medium. They use a little space and produce bounteously without the arduous labour of weeding, except to pull out a few weeds in the bags. By this method, a family can be assured of having shallow-rooted crops all year round. It can support yams, maize, okra, mushrooms, etc.
City Garden: In the big cities, some people passionately work to raise and sell ornamental plants – flowers, shrubs and trees on the fringes of the city. A part of that plot could be used to raise vegetable crops such as green (Amaranthus), ugu (pumpkin), tomatoes, peppers, okra, maize, yams, etc.
I am happy to say that plantation crops, such as oil palm, have been enthusiastically embraced by individuals, and they process the bunches in the small locally fabricated mills of other people or their personal mills. They are doing well in the venture. Okomu Oil Palm Estate is more than 19,000 hectares in size, and Presco Oil Palm Plantation is more than 26,500 hectares. Okomu processes the bunches into palm oil. Presco refines its palm oil into what is locally called vegetable oil. The companies supply the products to manufacturing companies in tanker loads of 35 tonnes.
Animal production: the source of protein for bodybuilding and maintenance. The consideration in animal production is meat, eggs, dairy and fish. The categories of animal husbandry are poultry, small ruminants (goats and sheep), large ruminants (cattle), and monogastrics (pigs). The keeping of animals does not require technical complexities. Anyone can start with a chosen stock with a small number and will build up expertise to be able to cope with the management of a large number.
There are three types of cattle. They are (1) beef cattle for meat production, (2) dairy cows for dairy products such as milk and cheese and (3) dual-purpose cattle, which give both meat and milk. The nation is heavily dependent on the importation of milk. It should wake up and promote dairy cattle production.
The traditional method of raising animals whereby they roam the surroundings freely in search of food, especially fowl, is still common in the rural areas. One can, at least, keep one or two birds. The people usually keep dual-purpose birds that give them eggs and meat. For a commercial object, a poultry farmer should raise either broilers for meat or layers for eggs. He could have the two on separate plots.
There is a huge market for game, that is, bush meat. The rearing of such animals as porcupines, grasscutter, quail (bush fowl) and snails has been developed. It is a very lucrative enterprise and can be done on a very small size of land. The same applies to keeping honeybees.
Our farmers are not valued. Food is a necessity. The government should give prior attention to food production as it does with other social amenities.
Japhet Esangbedo is an agriculturalist and is based in Igueben, running a food processing enterprise.
Related News
