•Inside the Ecological Project Office interventions in dry-season farming
By Nnamdi Ojiego
For farmers in Kano State, the end of the rainy season often marks a difficult transition.
As rainfall declines, access to water becomes a major concern, particularly for smallholder farmers who depend on seasonal rains to cultivate their land. In communities exposed to flooding and erosion, the challenges are even greater, with damaged roads, threatened homes and disrupted economic activities adding to the difficulties of rural life.
In Sumaila Town, Sumaila Local Government, for instance, residents faced serious challenges due to a lack of accessible roads and the threat of gully erosion.
Vehicles could not enter parts of the neighbourhood, forcing car owners to park outside.
Against this backdrop, the Federal Government has embarked on a series of ecological and agricultural interventions across Kano State, combining flood control, erosion remediation, road improvement and irrigation infrastructure in a programme intended to support farming throughout the year.
The projects, implemented by the Ecological Project Office under the leadership of Permanent Secretary, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr. Aishetu Gogo Ndayako, include interventions in communities spread across several local government areas, as well as irrigation schemes linked to Tiga, Challawa-Gorge and Kafin Chiri dams.
Project documents obtained by Sunday Vanguard indicate that the programme covers erosion control, flood mitigation, the construction of bridges and culverts, improvements to rural roads, the provision of tubewells and pumping machines, and the development of canal networks to supply water to farmland.
A separate watershed management programme lists 18 projects involving the provision of 5,380 tubewells and an equal number of pumping machines, with 16,140 households identified as intended beneficiaries.
The programme is reported to have achieved an average completion rate of 99.7 per cent, according to a brochure published by the Ecological Project Office.
The interventions form part of the Federal Government’s special ecological programme for the Kano River Irrigation Project under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Beyond the number of projects and facilities listed, the programme raises important questions about the relationship between water management, agricultural productivity, rural infrastructure and the ability of farmers to sustain production beyond the rainy season.
Ecological interventions
The erosion and flood-control component of the programme covers a range of communities where the government has listed projects intended to address erosion, flooding and deteriorating road infrastructure.
The project schedule contains 32 entries, including the construction of bridges and culverts for flood control, erosion-control works, remediation of affected areas and road improvement along selected routes.
Among the locations listed are Zambur, Unguwar Gai in Kibiya Local Government Area, Rimmin Yamma and Sumaila, Rurum-Bunkini-Kazaurawa, Furuwa, Kibiya town bypass, Zango and Hanyar Kogo in Takai, Kachako, Karaye, Kukar Bashari and Kwanar Dan Goro.
Other locations include Fulatan in Rogo Local Government Area, Kadabo Road, Darki bypass in Wudil, Kiru, Tiga-Runum Road, Gala, Wudil town, Daki community, Bebejii, Kadauji village and Magami.
The programme also lists road improvement and erosion-control works along Sabon Gwandu, Kazaurewa-Gana Road in Rano, Unguwar Gora, Rano-Bunkure Road and Falali in Sumaila, among other locations.
The projects vary in their stated purposes.
Some are primarily concerned with erosion control, while others combine erosion remediation with road improvement.
Several involve the construction of bridges or culverts intended to help manage flooding and improve movement within affected communities.
Such infrastructure can be important in rural areas where roads provide links between farms, residential settlements, markets and other essential services.
Where erosion damages roads or floodwaters cut off access, farmers may encounter additional difficulties moving produce to buyers, obtaining agricultural inputs or reaching their fields.
The listed interventions therefore have potential implications beyond the physical structures being constructed.
Their value to communities will depend on whether they address the problems for which they were designed and whether the infrastructure remains functional after construction.
Challenge of flooding, erosion
Flooding and erosion can place considerable pressure on communities whose livelihoods depend on agriculture and local trade.
Heavy rainfall can wash away topsoil, damage roads, undermine structures and disrupt the movement of people and goods.
Where water is poorly channelled, runoff can gradually erode the land, deepen gullies and threaten farmland and residential areas.
Flooding can also make roads impassable, leaving some communities with limited access to markets and essential services.
For farming households, the effects may extend beyond the immediate damage.
The loss of productive land, interruption of cultivation and difficulty transporting harvested crops can affect household earnings and food availability.
The Federal Government’s programme addresses some of these concerns through a combination of erosion-control structures, bridges, culverts and road improvement works.
The inclusion of bridges and culverts in locations such as Zambur, Furuwa, Magami and Unguwar Gora suggests an effort to address specific points where water movement and access are important considerations.
Other projects focus on erosion remediation or the improvement of roads in towns and rural settlements.
However, without adequate maintenance, infrastructure intended to control erosion and flooding can deteriorate, reducing its effectiveness over time.
The programme’s long-term value will therefore depend not only on construction but also on the quality of the works, their suitability for local conditions and the arrangements for monitoring and maintenance.
Irrigation expansion
While the erosion and flood-control projects address environmental and infrastructure challenges, the irrigation component seeks to improve access to water for agriculture.
The EPO has listed interventions at Tiga, Challawa-Gorge and Kafin Chiri dams, with plans to open new sectors for irrigation and provide canal networks to serve designated areas of farmland.
Together, the three schemes are designed to cover 1,279.91 hectares. The Tiga Dam intervention accounts for 875 hectares, Challawa-Gorge for 240 hectares and Kafin Chiri for 164.91 hectares.
The proposed schemes combine main canals, distribution canals, field canals and pipe extensions, depending on the requirements of each location.
The objective, according to the documents, was to make water available for cultivation beyond the main rainy season, giving farmers an opportunity to grow crops during periods when rainfall alone may not support production.
Dry-season farming can provide an additional source of income for farmers and help maintain agricultural activity when rain-fed cultivation is no longer possible. Depending on local conditions, crops grown under irrigation can also supply markets at different times of the year.
For the intervention to achieve these aims, however, the infrastructure must be completed, supplied with adequate water and operated in a way that allows farmers to use it reliably.
Tiga Dam: 875 hectares earmarked for irrigation
The Tiga Dam scheme is the largest of the three irrigation interventions listed in the project material. Completed in 1974, Tiga Dam is a major water-storage structure associated with the Kano River Irrigation Project. The supplied technical data describes it as a zoned earth-fill dam with a length of 6,000 metres and a maximum height of 48 metres from foundation level.
Its reservoir capacity is listed at between 1,350 million and 1,450 million cubic metres, although the design capacity is given as two billion cubic metres.
Under the current EPO intervention, 875 hectares have been earmarked for irrigation across three sectors identified as Renewed Hope Sector 1 at Yakasai, Sector 2 at Gawama and Sector 3 at Guriya.
The project schedule assigns 46 hectares to Yakasai, 381 hectares to Gawama and 448 hectares to Guriya. The three sectors together account for the stated 875 hectares.
To support irrigation across the designated area, the planned infrastructure includes 20.361 kilometres of distribution canals, 77.456 kilometres of field canals and a one-kilometre pipe extension.
The proposed network is intended to convey water through the irrigation system and distribute it to the designated farming areas.
The effectiveness of the scheme will depend on how the different components are connected, the availability of water and the arrangements for distributing it among farmers.
The size of the area earmarked for irrigation gives the Tiga intervention particular significance within the programme.
If the facilities become operational and farmers can use them consistently, the scheme could support additional cultivation during the dry season.
Challawa-Gorge: another 240 hectares
The second intervention is at Challawa-Gorge Dam, where the government plans to open an additional 240 hectares for irrigation. Completed in 1992, the dam is described in the supplied technical document as a rock-fill structure measuring 7,804 metres in length, with a maximum height of 42 metres from foundation level.
Its total reservoir capacity is listed as 930 million cubic metres, comprising 904 million cubic metres of active storage and 26 million cubic metres of dead storage.
The irrigation intervention involves an extensive network of canals, pipe extensions and access roads.
According to the project schedule, the planned main canals measure 14 kilometres and 2.5 kilometres, while the distribution canals measure 13.5 kilometres and 3.5 kilometres.
The listed canal works also include lengths of 25 kilometres and 4.5 kilometres under the description of additional canals, identified in the source material as “Reid Canals”.
The project, marked as ongoing, includes a 1.37-kilometre pipe extension and 10.5 kilometres of access roads within the canal network.
The inclusion of access roads alongside the canal network is significant because irrigation infrastructure must connect with the areas it is intended to serve.
Roads can assist movement within the scheme, including access to farms and the transport of agricultural inputs and produce.
The 240 hectares designated for irrigation could provide additional opportunities for cultivation if the scheme is completed and made operational.
The actual benefits, however, will depend on the distribution of water, the number of participating farmers and the reliability of the infrastructure.
Kafin Chiri: a smaller scheme with similar objectives
At Kafin Chiri Dam, construction is listed as ongoing.
The planned irrigation area is 164.91 hectares.
The dam’s technical data lists a reservoir capacity of 31.12 million cubic metres and a reservoir area of 8.42 square kilometres at full capacity.
The EPO intervention includes 9.474 kilometres of main canal, 7.106 kilometres of distribution canals and 2.748 kilometres of field canals.
Although the area is smaller than those covered by the Tiga and Challawa-Gorge schemes, Kafin Chiri forms part of the same wider effort to expand irrigation infrastructure and support farming outside the rainy season.
The proposed canals are intended to connect the water supply with designated agricultural areas.
As with the other schemes, their usefulness will depend on the completion of the network and the availability of water when farmers need it.
The three dam projects collectively account for almost 1,280 hectares of planned irrigation.
That figure provides a measure of the scale of the government’s stated intervention, although the project documents do not establish how much of the land is already being irrigated.
Tubewells, pumping machines for dry-season farming
Beyond the dam-based schemes, the EPO’s watershed management programme is designed to provide water facilities for all-season farming across several local government areas.
The brochure lists all the projects and states that the programme involves 5,380 tubewells, 5,380 pumping machines and 16,140 households.
The listed locations include Garko, Sumaila, Gaya, Ajingi, Albasu, Karaye, Kiru, Rogo, Bunkure, Tudun Wada, Takai, Kibiya and Wudil.
The project descriptions refer to drilling tubewells, providing water-harvesting facilities and installing watershed management systems to support dry-season cultivation and other agricultural activities.
A tubewell can provide access to groundwater, while a pumping machine helps move water to a location where it can be used. When properly installed and managed, such facilities can give farmers a source of water that is less dependent on immediate rainfall.
The provision of these facilities can be particularly relevant to smallholder farmers who cannot rely solely on rain-fed cultivation throughout the year.
However, the usefulness of a tubewell depends on several factors, including the availability and quality of groundwater, the reliability of the pump, the cost of operation and the arrangements for repairs and maintenance.
The distribution of the facilities among communities and households would also help clarify whether the programme is reaching its intended beneficiaries.
Completion level
One of the notable claims in the project material is the reported average completion rate of 99.7 per cent for the watershed management programme.
If the figure reflects verified physical progress across all 18 projects, it would indicate that the programme is close to completion.
However, the brochure does not explain whether the completion rate refers to construction, equipment installation, the delivery of facilities or the operational readiness of the schemes.
What the programme could mean for farmers
The potential benefits of the interventions extend beyond the construction of physical infrastructure.
For farmers, reliable access to water can make it possible to cultivate land during periods when rain-fed agriculture is difficult. Additional cropping opportunities may help households spread their income across the year and reduce the gap between harvests.
Irrigation can also support agricultural activity linked to produce handling, transportation, trading and the supply of inputs. Where production increases, the benefits may extend to other people who depend on farming for their livelihoods.
The erosion-control and road improvement projects could complement these efforts by improving access to agricultural communities and reducing disruption caused by damaged roads and flooding.
However, such outcomes are not automatic. They depend on whether the infrastructure is completed to the required standard, whether the water supply is sustainable and whether farmers can afford to use and maintain the facilities.
Access to land, seeds, fertiliser, extension services, markets and suitable storage facilities can also influence the results.
The project documents identify food security, employment, higher agricultural production and improved rural livelihoods among the expected benefits of the interventions.
Beyond construction
The programme’s wider significance will ultimately depend on the relationship between infrastructure delivery and the needs of the people it is intended to serve.
For the flood-control component, this means determining whether the works have reduced the risk of flooding, protected affected settlements and improved access to roads.
For the irrigation schemes, it means establishing whether farmers can obtain water when needed, whether the canals function as designed and whether the intended farming areas are being cultivated.
For the tubewell programme, the key questions include how many facilities are working, how groundwater resources are being managed and whether communities have the means to keep the equipment in service.
Maintenance is particularly important. Pumps require servicing, canals may need desilting and drainage structures can be damaged by heavy rainfall or the movement of debris. Without clear responsibility for maintenance, infrastructure may lose its usefulness before its expected lifespan.
The government would also need to establish a system for monitoring the programme’s performance and publishing information on its results.
The Ecological Project Office’s documents provide a broad outline of the intervention and the scale of the facilities planned.
The programme represents a substantial stated effort to link ecological works with agricultural water supply across Kano State.
Its lasting value will be measured by whether the infrastructure works, whether farmers can use it and whether communities experience a measurable improvement in their livelihoods.
For now, the listed projects provide a framework for that effort. Their eventual impact will depend on implementation, accountability and sustained attention to the needs of the communities the programme is designed to serve.
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