Samantha Okoligbo, a young farmer, speaks about her struggles as a woman in the agricultural sector in Nigeria.
In this Interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Samantha Okoligbo, a young farmer, speaks about her struggles as a woman in the agricultural sector in Nigeria.
PT: Can you put us through your journey in agriculture?
Okoligbo: I didn't get the chance to study plant science. During my final year in 2017, I discovered I was heading back to the plant. I don't know how this plant thing came about but I discovered this desire for farming was gradually taking over my heart. I didn't know how to go about it because I had no idea at all so I started searching through the internet and came across some youths then in the University of Benin.
They were into farming also. They said they cultivated watermelon. So I got interested and contacted them and later visited the farm. I was eager to join them, not just for the money aspect of it but to learn and I was so excited about it that I found youth that were also into farming. I was so excited about it that I didn't know these guys were fraudsters. So after I made my payment; all my savings that I made while in school, everything then was about N100,000, including my transportation and the money I sent to them, I lost everything. I couldn't reach out to these guys, their numbers were not going through and the money was not going through to trace them. It was later I realised I had been duped. That didn't stop me, I still went further.
Even when I was serving in Osun State, during the SAED programme, I registered for agriculture but the man didn't pay attention to me because I was female. I tried so much to beg him, even got his contact and pleaded with him so many times even after service to just give me a try but he never did until I think 2021, when I came across Ayo Farinde. He is the owner of Asfarin Solution located at Odeda. He is into greenhouses and also open fields so I got to chat with him and he invited me down to his farm. He was even excited I was a female. That was the first person I saw that showed this excitement, a female coming to the farm. He gave me the chance, I applied there as an intern and I was there for one year.
I learned about the greenhouse. We were planting green peppers then. We did plant cucumber also at the open field and also learnt irrigation, how to store irrigation. After one year, the first job he got for me was turned down because I was a female. God so kind, I got another job. The farm was owned by a female and she gave me the opportunity to work as a farm manager. Then we had four workers. I was there, the pay was okay, but the environment was not conducive at all. No light, no network, no water, no good road. Nothing good at all. I had to manage to stay for planting season; it was during the rainy season, for that planting season to be over. When I left the job, during my search for a better environment, I met a man who told me about a farm settlement with a conducive environment. It was in Osun State, after a brief survey of the environment, that I discovered it was pretty expensive getting land. So since I didn't have the money, I decided to partner with them. So in my own part, what I did was the food preparation like the making of 'elubo' and Garri, while the Togo guys that we brought cultivated the crops. We harvested crops together. The man later stopped keeping to our agreement. They did everything to frustrate me and it was too much for me that I couldn't bear any longer. I had to report to the authorities here both in my church and the elderly that were around so they had to call him to order.
At the end of the day, I didn't get anything out of the 100 bags of maize that we harvested. I didn't worry because for me I saw it as a stepping stone because all those challenges then and the things I had to face opened up like other opportunities for me. During that process, I got help from an elderly man. He gave me a piece of his land here for free and he told me I could do anything I want to do on it. I harvested my vegetables there. There was much I couldn't do because I was working manually. My strength couldn't carry me to supply more. Presently, what I have on ground is Okro. The ones I planted last year, when I came back I discovered that the cow had eaten almost half of it. So I had to start planting again. So I have my pepper nursed already which by God's grace we will start transplanting by the end of this month and I have my Okro. But the river that I was hoping on to use for my vegetables is almost dried up so I couldn't do them anymore. I planted only the pepper and Okro till March/April when the rain comes.
PT: In all these challenges, have you received support from your family?
Okoligbo: At first my family didn't support me because it was strange. They kept asking questions: what do you even know about farming? Which land? Where are you going to source the land? etc. It wasn't easy at first, I didn't get any support. Even the ones that came like support, at the end of the day ended up choking me. So there was truly no support. Just recently I got even the land, you know something that is not yours can be taken from you anytime. So that one I still tried to manage, maybe after my pepper and Okro I am still going to do maize when it is time, when rain starts. Whatever I can raise from there, I will acquire my own land and start up a little from there.
PT: How do you manage residing in Lagos and owning a farm in Osun?
Okuligbo: Yes, farming is the main business now for me, although not as much as I would want it. I reside in Lagos because that is where my parents are based. I am only here for the farming purpose and go back home maybe during the weekends when I don't have much to do around here and I have the money to transport myself. I go back home, stay with my parents and come back to the farm so that is how I run it.
PT: Do you use mechanised tools for farming?
Okoligbo: We still use crude tools like cutlass and hoe for farming. Even for irrigation here, we still do manual wetting. I don't know, people here do not encourage mechanised farming. This is my second year in this location and I have not seen any machine working on any farm. They do manual labour. It's been manual all through.
PT: Are you aware of government support? Have you benefited from any?
Okoligbo: I am aware but I have not received any. I applied but nothing happened and just gave up on them. I have not received any support from them.
PT: Have you been faced with issues of insecurity?
Okoligbo: Yes security issues especially these herdsmen issues, we experience them a lot here. The cow ate up the vegetables I had on the farm. That is one of the insecurity problems. Also being a female in the midst of men, you know this career is mostly occupied by men. I somehow still try to pull through in that aspect.
PT: Market is a concern for farmers, do you have a market for your produce?
Okoligbo: There is a market. Like the vegetable I planted last, I had a market for it. I was supplying restaurants and people around were coming to buy but I couldn't supply much because my supply was very low compared to the demand. Demand was so high I couldn't meet up because I was doing manual wetting. In fact, I did most of the job on my own apart from the clearing. I didn't have much to get workers. Maybe even if it is daily workers. Irrigation was also a big problem. There is no pumping machine, I don't have one and I couldn't even get anyone to rent. So I did most of the wetting manually for which I couldn't cover the large space, even though most of the seeds are still there that I have not planted. Market is there but the ability to supply this market is the issue.
PT: Can you be specific with the kind of support you applied for?
Okoligbo: Yes I can't really remember their names but there were some I saw that I wasn't qualified for because they were requesting for business name, business qualification. And the ones I thought at least I could qualify for, I registered but didn't get anything. So I just left it. I forgot about it and moved on. Even the loan, there were some I even applied for but was unable to get except this App that I usually borrow if I need finance. I get a little amount and pay back with interest at the end of the month. So that is just the one I am using now to support myself.
PT: So why have you not gotten a business name?
Okoligbo: First of all, if I want to get the business name, I will need a business location or address. So for now, I am not sure on that because even the land I am using now is not owned by me. I couldn't meet the target. Like right now, I am starting all over again to see how I can gather some finance and then look for a land to own. So from there, we will start thinking of getting the business registered.
PT: Do you think that with all these challenges, you will be able to scale in the agricultural sector?
Okoligbo: Sure and that is why I am still here. Yes I believe so, I am very sure of that.
I know nothing is going to stop me because I can anticipate the future and I know it is bright for me. I am not giving up now. The time I was supposed to give up has passed. Even when I had the money and met with the wrong guys and was duped, I didn't stop.
There were so many things I did at the end of the day the land was taken by somebody else. These people that sell/rent houses to like three or four persons. You see four or five persons struggling for one piece of land and things like that. There were so many like that that I just left because I didn't want trouble for myself. So if I could survive through all those times and I am still standing. I know I will survive it by God's grace. Presently I am not even thinking of going back or saying let me go back and pick my certificate to look for another job since this farming thing is not working. I am not even thinking in that direction.
PT: Tell us briefly about your experience with the multiple land sales.
Okoligbo: I can't even remember the year but that was when I just started. When I wanted to try my hands on it, I met a man. He told me that there was land for rent and all that stuff. When I went there, I saw the place. He was also willing to put me through. That was before I got any training. He was willing to put me through because his farm was close to the farm I planned to work on so I wanted collaboration. But at the end of the day, different people claimed ownership of the same land. I just left it because I already paid for clearing, completed my balance for clearing but it didn't work out so i just had to let go and move on.
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PT: At that point how much did you lose?
Okoligbo: Yes my transportation to and fro there, my time and the money I used for clearing. I can't specifically remember the amount but I remember the last balance I made, the transfer I made was N9,000 to the balance I paid, which was N6,000 or so.
PT: What would you say is your most pressing need as a farmer?
Okoligbo: My most pressing need right now is access to land. Landowners could ask you not to farm on their land again, tomorrow they ask you to pay this amount and next tomorrow you are paying that one and all. If I can get a land that is free from all of that, it's fine. Another thing is getting the land irrigated. For now the two major things I need are irrigation and land. If I can get that land and get it irrigated, the rest is easy to handle.
PT: Have you heard of sack farming for women?
Okoligbo: Yes, I have.
PT: Don't think you should practise such to save you from land issues?
Okoligbo: With this location here, there is no place. I actually thought of that too. If I am going to do it here, the sack will still be on a piece of land. If I am going to do sack farming, I am still going to need water for my plants. I even bought one. I bought growth bags but I have yet to collect them. I have not gone to take it because honestly I have no need for it now. Even the river/stream I was hoping will have water is dried up. That is just how it is; it is still not going to work.
PT: Where do you see yourself in the near future?
Okoligbo: Well in the near future I am seeing myself being a real farmer with my own land, registered with a name, not just a name but to make it a household name. I believe through me other young female farmers too will develop the interest in trying out agriculture. In the near future I really hope to have a household name like the ones I used to hear and see on the internet.
