Climate Change: Niger urges farmers to adapt as rainfall pattern shifts

The Niger State Government has urged farmers to adopt climate-smart practices, including the use of drought-resistant seeds and staggered planting, as changing rainfall patterns continue to threaten agricultural production.

Permanent Secretary, Niger State Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Matthew Ahmed, gave the advice at a collaborative meeting involving the state Ministries of Agriculture and Environment, the Federal Government, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) and farmers in Minna.

Ahmed said the unusually heavy rainfall recorded in recent weeks, despite the expectation of reduced rainfall towards the end of the rainy season, was evidence of changing weather patterns.

He urged farmers to consider drought-resistant crop varieties, noting that some maize varieties can survive dry spells of up to 40 days and recover when rainfall resumes.

The Permanent Secretary also advised farmers to stagger planting by dividing their farmland into sections and planting at different times to reduce losses from drought, excessive rainfall and pests.

He said farmers could also use weather information platforms to access forecasts and plan their farming activities.

Director of Climate Change, Niger State Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Hashimu Garba, said climate change was affecting virtually every sector, with agriculture particularly vulnerable to increasingly unpredictable weather.

Garba said farmers could no longer rely solely on traditional weather patterns, stressing the need for greater awareness and adoption of climate adaptation measures.

He recommended early-maturing and climate-resilient crop varieties and called for sustained collaboration between the Ministry of Environment,  and VCDP in the state. 

State Programme Coordinator of VCDP, Hajiya Hadizat Isah, said interventions included sustainable land management, improved water management, climate-resilient planting, agroforestry, erosion control and the use of agricultural waste to produce biochar, biogas and animal feed.

The stakeholders called for stronger climate information services and increased adoption of climate-resilient farming practices to protect farmers and sustain agricultural production in the state.