Idris Abba Disa
3 August 2008
opinion
The above quotation is an old adage in Hausa language. It can roughly be translated as "Farming, the root of wealth, an old form of trade, and anyone that comes to the world meets you."
Farming is a means of rasing plants and animals for human and animal utilization, sometimes called Agriculture, husbandry, cultivation, agronomy or agribusiness etc. The history of farming is as old as humankind. The domestication of plants and animals dates back to 6th millennium BC and the earliest may date from 19,000 BC. The first set of farmers, archeologists agree were Neolithic in culture. They occupied south-western Asia (Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Turkey); southeastern Asia (Thailand); Africa (Egypt); Europe (Macedonia, Thessaly and Thrace). The Huang He area of China and the Indus River Valley of India, Pakistan and Tehuacan valley of Mexico were also said to be early centers of agriculture. Archeologist have a number of theories that suggest what prompted farming. For instance, some theories maintain that population pressure or changes in the environment forced humans to find new economic strategies and this led to farming.
Another theory maintains that a population of humans may have lived in a region where it was relatively easy to farm. Also, another theory proposes that the rise of farming may have been a function of change as individuals began to use agriculture as a means of acquiring wealth in the form of food surplus.
Farming was held at high esteem even during the Neolithic period. It was said to have led to social changes. Then, surplus of food such as grains or herds of livestock became commodities of wealth for some individuals leading to social differentiation within farming communities. It became a yardstick for differentiating the rich from the poor. It also served as a commodity of exchange (trade by barter) as there was no money in those days. A successful farmer, with bumper harvest became a leader in some places. Farming was seen as a source of pride and, series of festivities marked the beginning of a new farming season and a successful harvest. Also among the herdsmen, the one with the largest flock became a leader and, he served as a source of inspiration to his peers.
But today, farming in Nigeria is viewed as a way of meeting ends for the rural populace with only very few rich and those in "position" engaging in poultry or fish farming while others into animal husbandry. Products from the latter farmers are only utilised by about two per cent the of Nigerian population. Farming has been neglected in Nigeria, in that only the peasant farmers that largely depend on hoes, cutlasses and other crude tools, whose annual income could hardly afford them inputs.
Peasant farmers form about 75 per cent of the farmers in Nigeria and yet, governments have not given them the necessary support for optimum yields. Their population is also diminishing by the day. They are becoming weaker, and they are hindered by ill-health due largely to strenuous labour.
Above all, the younger generation is now running away from the farming occupation and instead, migrate to urban centers in search of the national cake. But they only become political thugs, as it has now become the easiest way of earning a living.
Traditionally, Nigerian economy was purely based on agriculture and trade, but towards the end of the 19th century, it witnessed a dramatic change. The reason could not be far fetched. First, there was the need then, to pay tax to colonial government, which prompted Nigerian farmers to abandon food crops for cash crops, which government bought at low prices and sold at a higher profit.
Secondly, in the 1960's and 1970's, the petroleum industry developed, prompting greatly increased earnings leading to abandonment of agriculture. Farming contributed to more than 75 per cent of export earnings before 1970.
But farming has stagnated due to government neglect and poor investment, partly due to ecological factors: drought, reduced soil fertility and disease. Today, farming only accounts for about four-five per cent export and engages only about three per cent of the economically active population. Despite its vast fertile land, manpower and huge financial resources, Nigeria has to import food to meet its domestic consumption.
Though governments have introduced many agricultural development policies to ensure sustainable food production and food security, all have gone in vein.
Farming is a big obligation, which we ought not to have neglected. Though Nigeria only experiences food price rise, that should not make us relax and fold our arms because we may find ourselves in a serious food tsunami. We must be an independent country in terms of food supply so that one day we won't be disappointed by the countries that export food to us. If we fail to stand up and do the right thing at the right time, we may wake up one morning to see red. This is becoming more apparent as some countries are planning to regulate rice market. It may be a prototype of OPEC were western interest would prevail to the detriment of developing countries.
The only way out of this mess is to achieve sustainable food security, and to achieve sustainable food security we must first come to appreciate farming as a way of life and not as a way of sustenance for the rural populace. It should be viewed as a moral obligation.
We can start by cushioning the effect of the current food price inflation in the country. Government's reversal of the N80billion rice importation plan is a right step. The money should be distributed strategically to our peasant farmers ensuring that the funds reach their hands. This can be achieved by grouping the farmers into co-operative societies in order to have easy access to the funds. Government should make adequate and timely provision of subsidized fertilizers and pesticides to the farmers. This time around, government should collaborate with the civil defense corps and community elders to avoid turning the good gesture into a political one.
After cushioning the effect of the present food redicaments, governments at all level should organise corporate bodies including our banks, oil companies and NGOs to consider farming as a corporate social responsibility. Stakeholders in the food industries must also stop importation of food and instead adopt farming as a source of their raw materials. Our micro finance institutions must also come on board this time with a full commitment towards achieving food security and sustainability by providing loans and other novel packages to our local farmers. Government should also increase its budgetary allocation to agriculture, so also states and local governments.
A full societal re-orientation towards embracing agriculture by all should be pursued vigorously. Stakeholders should invest heavily in industrial agriculture, which incorporate scientific and mechanised methods. Funds should be made available for research and developments. Our academic and research institutes should play important roles in unveiling and developing new techniques.
Hybrid crops should be produced for export and local consumption, enhancement of Stover, husk, bran etc for human and animal consumption and the conversion of biomass to fuel should be given high priority. We must revive our heritage by upholding our once cherished obligation, because farming is the root of wealth, the oldest form of trade. Everyone that comes to the world meets farming. Indeed, farming is great!
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