‘Delayed, unexpected rains’ hit cowpea in Sokoto

In many parts of Sokoto State, climate change has affected the harvest of cowpea, as seeds, stems and leaves have been ruined. Farmers complain that most of the grains and leaves of cowpea plants had become pitch-black and impaired, a situation they attributed to inconsistent rainfall. One of the farmers, Alhaji Haliru Bankanu, who is […]

In many parts of Sokoto State, climate change has affected the harvest of cowpea, as seeds, stems and leaves have been ruined.

Farmers complain that most of the grains and leaves of cowpea plants had become pitch-black and impaired, a situation they attributed to inconsistent rainfall.

One of the farmers, Alhaji Haliru Bankanu, who is also the chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Kware Local Government Area of the state, lamented, “The delayed and current unexpected rains in Sokoto State have dealt a heavy blow on cowpea planted this year. This late rainfall affected 75per cent of our targeted harvests.”

Cowpea is a major source of income for over 6,000 farmers across the state. Many rural dwellers derive their livelihoods from cowpea, a widely recognised food and animal feed crop.

An International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) report notes that more than 5.4 million tons of dried cowpea are produced worldwide, with Africa producing nearly 5.2 million. It adds that Nigeria, the largest producer and consumer, accounts for 61 per cent of production in Africa and 58 per cent worldwide.

Sokoto is one of the significant cowpea producing states in Nigeria, but with the prevailing situation, farmers lament that their livelihoods are adversely affected. The situation also affects the availability of beans for consumption.

Daily Trust on Sunday learnt that areas mostly affected are Kware, Gwadabawa, Tangaza, Wamakko, Gada and Illela, all in the western part of the state.

“It has destroyed all the two varieties of cowpea plantations from which we harvest the seeds we consume, and the one that gives us livestock feed (harawa). Many of us could not even realise a quarter of what we got last year. We are really in a fix,” Bankanu said.

Bankanu reaped 150 bales of livestock feed and over five bags of cowpea last year, but this year he can hardly get 50 bundles and five measures of cowpea.

The 58-year-old farmer, with 45 years of experience, described the rain situation as first of its kind in that part of the country, saying, “We have never witnessed rainfall of this kind in October, “he said.

An 85-year-old man in the area also said, “Such rainfall in mid-October is odd.”

Also recounting his experience, another cowpea farmer, Umar Abubakar, 62, said he was reaping about 10 per cent of what he harvested last year. “Last year, I got over 50 bales of livestock feed and one sack of cowpea, but this year, it is only five bundles and barely five measures (mudus) of cowpea,” he said.

Another farmer, Muhammad Liye of Dambuwa village, also lamented the situation and prayed that God would avert it. “I have lost cowpea and livestock feed worth thousands of naira to this rainfall, which turns the plants black,” he said, adding that last year, he enjoyed good harvest.

“The 2018 yield fetched me good money and I had some for consumption. The remaining is still in the store. But this year, I can hardly get a reasonable quantity for use, let alone for sale.”

Speaking on the situation, Professor Lawali Abubakar of the Department of Crop Science, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto said, “The low yield in cowpea production this year can be attributed to multiple factors. I think the issue of the rain pattern is perhaps part of the climate change we have been talking about. The rainfall recorded towards the tail end of October in Sokoto is a thing of surprise for most people.

“Normally, in cowpea production, towards the tail end, the moisture regime is very low under conventional times. But this year, because of the rain, the humidity is there. So the build-up of parasitic organisms in the environment became a bit higher and could have contributed to the destruction of the crops.

“If the rain happened when the crop was flowering, it could have caused significant damage to some of the flowers. It is the flowers that are eventually responsible for seed production.

“Also, when you look at the physiology of the crop, it is very high yielding, particularly the variety we grow in this part of the country. These are varieties that yield very well when the moisture regime is not very high. So the fact that the moisture regime is high might have resulted in greater vegetative matter production than actual seed or grain production. We expected that by now, only the dew is what would be seen.”

On why the seed and flowers darkened, the crop scientist explained, “Once the moisture regime is a bit high, it becomes prevalent for attack or proliferation of the parasitic orgasms, which will affect the yield.”

He noted that crops should be at the right physiological stage when the rain is going to cease. “This is because cowpea is a late-maturing seed, and normally, you harvest it when the environment or climate is dry. With this phenomenon of climate change knocking on our doors, what it means is that most, if not all the researches, are predictions of earlier years. We have to work on them all over again because the template is changing.

“So the issue requires extensive research for us to come up with new policies and programmes that would cater for the crops we are cultivating in the state,’’ he noted.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations notes that climate change threatens the ability to ensure global food security, eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development.

In its State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018, the FAO highlighted increasing temperatures and changes in rainfall, adding that the nature of seasons is also changing, specifically the timing of climate events.

“This is related to the late/early rainy seasons; the unequal distribution of rainfall within a season (periods of dry and rainy days) and changes in temperature during the rainy season,” it stated.

It clarified further that within-season changes may not register as extreme climate events, such as drought, flood or storms. “There are aspects of climate variability that affects the growth of crops and the availability of pasture for livestock, with potentially significant implications for food security and nutrition,’’ it further stated.

The FAO restates the need to step up investments in vulnerability reduction measures and recommends a combination of different tools, including regulation, fiscal instruments, investments in research and knowledge dissemination, support for market accessibility, improvement in infrastructure and social protection.

The affected farmers in Sokoto are calling on government to assist them in cushioning the effect of the loss.

“If we can get all the necessary support in good time, we can make up for the loss we recorded from this unexpected rain. The support should go to the real farmers, not political ones,” Umar Abubakar said.