Ola-Oluwa Local Government Area of Osun State prides itself as “the food basket of the state”. This is rooted in the belief that the local government area is predominantly a farming community.

Residents believe they produce the largest volume of farm produce. However, climate change has reduced crop yields in the area.

Olubori Akeem and Chief Wale Mayegun, both local farmers having their separate farms in some villages in Ola-Oluwa, cultivate on a large scale with the help of farm workers who work on a contract basis. As a farmer, they are always excited whenever there is rain. At the beginning of the growing season in February, they cleared large expanses of land and planted maize, okra and yam, among others.

As with every hard worker, both had expectations of bountiful harvests in a few months because their crops had just a three-month lifespan. But they never got one tenth of their expectation.

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DRY WEATHER AFFECTS CROPS

On his farm on May 6, Olubori Akeem explained the challenge brought by a lack of sufficient rain since the growing season started. He said he had planted maize and okra on about 20 acres of land combined in Idi-Oro and Olupo.

The father of three further told FIJ that the maize crops he planted in late February had a lifespan of three months but an unanticipated dry weather set in and stunted the growth of the plants.

“My entire farmland for maize and okra is about 20 acres. I planted maize largely in February. I had an expectation of a great harvest in three months. Unfortunately, the weather has been dry. Rain has not fallen more than three times since I planted this. The temperature has been very high,” Akeem explained.

Speaking on the amount he had spent so far, he said, “I have spent more than N500,000. I have steady contract farm workers whom I must pay at the end of the year. I should have been preparing to harvest at least 10 pickup loads of maize now. With this challenge now, I am considering clearing these maize plants and planting another in the June/July growing season.”

Akeem was not alone. Many other farmers in the area lamented the poor climatic condition leading to huge economic losses. Rainfall has been inconsistent in Osun State since the beginning of the year.

Chief Wale Mayegun, another farmer in Iwara community, corroborated Akeem’s account. He explained he had cultivated 45 acres of maize farm with the hope of reaping 40 pickup loads of maize harvests in May.

The unexpected shortage of rainfall has drastically reduced the realisation of his hopes. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) earlier predicted that some states would see early onsets of rain.

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Scientific evidence shows Africa contributes the smallest share of global greenhouse gas emissions –3.8 percent — according to a Brookings Institution paper. Despite this, the continent is the most vulnerable region to climate disasters with low climate financing to build its adaptability.

INCREASING FOOD CRISIS

Mayegun said the prevailing situation would exacerbate food crisis, particularly in Nigeria. According to him, reduced crop outputs means the basic food would be scarce.

“Without being a doomsayer, food crisis is not ending soon. The size of my maize farm is 45 acres. Normally, I should harvest nothing less than 40 pickup loads. But look at what dry weather has done to my farm,” Mayegun said.

“The direct consequence of this is that the farm produce will not be enough to go round, and the population will struggle to get what’s available in the market. Prices would go up and the poor who cannot afford them will go hungry.”

According to a publication, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency had predicted that a dry spell would occur in some parts of the south, including Osun State, in April 2023.

FIJ learnt that a small basket of okra is being sold for N5,000. It was around N1,500 in 2022 at Odo-Ori market in Iwo, Osun State. Similarly, a price of a pickup load of maize now is between N150,000 and N180,000.

‘GOD IS PUNISHING US BECAUSE WE HAVE SINNED TOO MUCH‘

However, two aged farmers who spoke with FIJ thought climate variability was God’s punishment against man because of sins.

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“Too much of sins is the cause of this. I came to check my okra farm today because my people informed me over the phone that the leaves had turned yellow from green. When I saw it, I was sad. This is God’s punishment,” Asati, an aged man, said.

FIJ understands that most Nigerian farming activities largely depend on rain, thus, insufficient rainfall affects farmers.