Introduction
Without water, farmers will be left handicapped with challenges related to scarcity, unpredicted rainfall patterns, and drought which can have a greater effect on crop yields and farmer’s livelihoods. Water is very essential, needed for irrigation of crops and other purposes of human life.
It can be made available through surface water sources and ground water source. The former includes lakes, rivers, and others, whereas, the latter include springs, tube wells, amongst others. In communities in the FCT, relying on rainfall for irrigation and other traditional means come with challenges and can be labor-intensive and time consuming, potentially deterring smallholder farmers.
This will always result in increased production costs, borne out of cost of water, use and maintenance of generating set, fuel for usage and many more. Also, farmers will need to spend more on irrigation to protect crops against weather-associated pests and diseases.
In an area well associated with smallholder farmers, this becomes a huge task. Farmers in FCT communities, one of the arid regions in Nigeria, struggled with problem of insufficient water to properly irrigate their crops. With these challenges faced, prompted the Agro-Climatic Resilience In Semi Arid Landscape (ACReSAL) to provide solar powered tube wells for farmers to improve their day-to-day farm activities and boost overall crop production. Tube wells make room for consistent irrigation system for farmers, irrespective of rainfall patterns. The improved water supply enables farmers to cultivate wider variety of crops that can help increase their harvest and income.
Testimonies
No fewer than 3000 households across communities visited have benefited from the tubewell interventions, enabling them to meet other basic needs. Some members of the community are also trained in maintaining local security and sustainability of the intervention project.
Beneficiaries gave strong positive testimonies, revealing increased agricultural production, and improved water access. For instance, Aliyu Saidu, a 37 year old farmer, one of many beneficiaries in Wako Gada-Bui community, Kwali Area Council, said “I used to get between 30-35 bags of grains but, with the intervention which has brought less expenses and less costs, I harvest close to 50 bags.”Before the intervention, I do make use of 10 liters of petrol for the generating set to water the farm, but now, no need for that. As a result, I’ve been able to save a lot”, he said.
Usman Mohammed alluded to an increase in his rice production, from 3 bags to 9 bags since he began making use of the tube well. He also revealed the ability to grow a wider variety of crops, boosting his income.
Summary
These impacts by ACReSAL reveal the multifaceted benefits of tube well provision, including economic empowerment, easiness in carrying out farming activities and an enhanced quality of life. The absence of tube wells shows challenges for farmers, impacting their ability to cultivate crops, maintain sustainable agricultural practices and manage production costs.