A farmer’s view of Katsina’s food security

It was in an effort to ensure these three critical processes in achieving food security that the administration of Governor Ibrahim Shema introduced three critical steps to tackle the ever needed food security in the state and the country as a whole. These steps are; one, the purchase of adequate fertilizer and accessories, the provision […]

It was in an effort to ensure these three critical processes in achieving food security that the administration of Governor Ibrahim Shema introduced three critical steps to tackle the ever needed food security in the state and the country as a whole.

These steps are; one, the purchase of adequate fertilizer and accessories, the provision of tractors, and the supply of water tankers and waste evacuation vehicles. Many people have questioned the rationale behind the supply of water tankers and waste evacuation vehicles to each of the 34 local government areas of the state without understanding the inner thinking of the government in using unconventional means to achieve food security in the state.

For the avoidance of any doubt, the government is deliberate in purchasing and supplying each of the 34 local government areas with these vehicles in its determination to ensure each community have access to the principal requirements for attaining food security.

One, the water tankers are essential equipments for dry season farming since to attain food security, food production should not be restricted to annual rituals only, it has to be a sustainable and year in year out effort before it could be achieved. The water tankers will apart from sourcing and providing portable water to the teeming population of the state, serve as source of water for those who choose to go into dry season farming.

On the other hand, the acquisition of waste evacuators is one of the biggest innovations in attaining food security introduced by Governor Ibrahim Shema to provide the teeming farmers of the state alternative and additional source of fertilizer through using the waste evacuators to give the farmers the needed manure for their farms.

In this way, the average farmer who could not afford his required fertilizer can have access to the waste evacuator and take waste anywhere in his community to his farm. And it has to be noted that while manure has been part of the old technology for agriculture, farmers especially in rural communities, have struggled to have the capacity to evacuate waste to their farms. This time around, they can gladly and at all times are able to do so without much trouble.

This is a new wisdom introduced by the governor to promote food production in the remotest community of the state who may not have access to the volume of fertilizer they require for their farming.

More so, unlike previous administrations, the Governor Shema-led government introduced one of the most reliable fertilizer distribution systems that guarantee the commodity reaches the real farmer without the usual diversion experienced year in year out in the state. These measures include the issuance directly, of 75 bags to each polling unit. Katsina has four thousand, eight hundred and ninety seven polling units. Apart from this, farmers unions, associations and groups are equally supplied with their own separately.

Traditional rulers, Islamic scholars, elders, youth associations who are into farming are equally and separately supplied with the commodity directly without the usual process that allows manipulations and diversion.

The civil servants and civil service unions have not been excluded from this innovation. To further encourage youths to go into farming, in each of these polling units, two young farmers were identified and issued with additional fertilizer to assist and encourage them to go into farming.

These new innovation has not only ensured that fertilizer and other farming support implements supplied by government reach those most in need of them, it also removes the manipulation of the former committees that were always set up to distribute the commodity but who always ended up diverting same for their personal use.

Additionally, ten tractors were supplied to each of the 54 local government areas apart from the identification and allocation of separate tractors to large scale farmers in the state.

With these series of innovations in tackling the great challenges of food insecurity, this year’s farming season is braced to become one of the greatest in terms of harvest according to one of the beneficiaries in the state.

Chairman of the Zumunta Farmers, Alhaji Sani Yakubu, was quoted by one of the radio stations in the state as describing the new development as unprecedented action plan that has the capacity to transform the state into agricultural haven and a basket for food security not only in Nigeria, but in sub-Saharan Africa.

Optimism such as  this and other projects that were introduced by the administration as a way of improving the living standards of the teeming populace as well as  genuine efforts that were taken in the areas of agriculture and youth employment  remain  vantage  to the hope of the growing youth population in the state.

Farming and agriculture generally is not only about feeding, it is more than just food security; it is about employment, crime prevention, health development, social cohesion and human dignity and economic upliftment.

At a time when issues such as the increasing burden on states over wages, and the continuous debate on the future of the federation, it takes a visionary leader to realize the potentials that abound in his state and take  strong and genuine steps to begin to direct the state towards self-reliance and self-sustainability.

Ahmed Sani Kagara writes from Dutsinma and can be reached at [email protected]