By Samira Adnan
For decades, farming has sustained families across Kano State, but many farmers say climate change, rising input costs and weak market systems are pushing them to the brink.
In Rimin Gado Local Government Area, Sama’ila Abdul Kadir Dan Isa reflected on two decades of farming marked by steady changes.
“I have been farming for 20 years,” he said. “I used to grow cotton during the rainy season, but now I grow beans, maize, millet and sometimes groundnuts. Even last year, rainfall was enough, but yields were lower than before.”
He said timing had become critical to survival.
“If you plant late and the rains stop early, losses are inevitable,” he said.
Beyond erratic rainfall, he noted that rising production costs were compounding the crisis.
“I bought a bag of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertiliser for ₦47,000. I had to reduce my farm from two hectares to one. Previously, I harvested between 80 and 120 bags; last year, I harvested only 20. It was a serious loss,” Sama’ila said.
He added that access to improved seed varieties remained limited.
“No government agency or organisation has given us new seeds. We only hear about them on the radio,” he said, appealing for support. “If nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) were sold for ₦20,000 and urea for ₦18,000, farmers could produce enough food for homes and markets.”
Tomato farmers in Karfi in Kura Local Government Area and Kwanar Gafan in Garun Malam Local Government Area shared similar concerns. Despite recording bumper harvests this season, they said they suffered heavy losses due to high transportation costs and the absence of storage and processing facilities.
Malam Hudu Shehu, a dry-season farmer in Karfi with over 40 years of experience, said he harvested about 40 baskets of tomatoes daily but was forced to dump a large portion.
“Sometimes we are left with no choice but to dispose of the tomatoes because they rot and smell. Whatever I sell cannot even cover transportation costs,” he said, adding that fertiliser now costs about ₦70,000 per bag.
Another farmer, Muhammad Audu, said some growers had resorted to drying tomatoes to minimise losses and called for the revival of processing factories.
“If government can revive the tomato processing factory, it will encourage us to boost production,” he said.
A climate and agriculture expert, Umar Sale Anka, attributed much of the crisis to water scarcity.
“Water is running out in many areas. Rainfall has dropped, temperatures have risen, and our wells are drying up. People are digging boreholes everywhere, but when every household does it, the water table keeps falling,” Anka said.
He advocated community-managed water systems as a more sustainable alternative.
“A single borehole serving an entire street is more sustainable. It eases the pressure on underground water,” he said.
Anka also warned that urban expansion was disrupting natural water recharge systems.
“Along BUK Road in Kano, there used to be natural depressions where rainwater gathered. Now those areas are filled and built on. Water no longer has a place to settle,” he said.
To help farmers adapt, experts are promoting Climate-Smart Agriculture, which combines weather-informed planting schedules, drought-tolerant seeds and organic soil restoration techniques.
“We work with NiMet’s seasonal forecasts. If rainfall will be low or delayed, we advise farmers to use early-maturing or drought-tolerant seeds,” Anka said, stressing the importance of restoring soil fertility with organic compost such as decomposed animal waste.
He also encouraged environmental restoration through tree planting.
“Tree planting protects the environment and is a form of continuous charity,” he said, noting that greener neighbourhoods such as GRA, Audu Bako Secretariat and the Emir’s Palace demonstrate the cooling benefits of trees.
At the federal level, the government has commenced the distribution of agricultural inputs to smallholder farmers in Kano to enhance year-round farming and food security.
Representing the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, Alhaji Yarima Uba, Director of the Department of Horticulture at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, said the government had implemented several interventions, including economic reforms and emergency responses, to address the food crisis.
“It is the resolve of the present administration to attain the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially zero hunger, while also mitigating the food crisis in the country,” he said.
Items distributed include power tillers, herbicides, fertilisers, knapsack sprayers and water pumps, with beneficiaries drawn from cooperative groups, commodity associations and persons with disabilities.
One of the beneficiaries, Murtala Musa, commended the initiative.
“We appreciate the government for including vulnerable farmers. We hope the support will continue,” he said.
Non-governmental organisations have also intensified support for farmers. The Arewa Women Initiative for Climate Change Advocacy has trained more than 50 women farmers in climate-smart techniques and distributed drought-tolerant and heat-resistant seeds in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Bayero University Kano’s Centre for Dryland Agriculture.
“These seeds can grow with minimal water and tolerate high temperatures, producing yields similar to rainy-season crops,” the programme coordinator, Alawiyya Baba, said.
She added that the organisation promoted household gardening to improve nutrition and income.
“Women can plant vegetables in sacks or backyards. It helps with food security and empowers them economically,” she said.
In collaboration with International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, the group has introduced 25 native plant species, including tsamiya, magarya and adu’a, to enrich soil and prevent erosion.
“These plants strengthen the soil and protect against climate impacts,” she added.
Under the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones initiative, farmers in Bagwai Local Government Area are receiving improved seeds, fertilisers and training.
The Secretary General of beneficiary farmers, Isma’ila Iliyasu Wakili, said the programme had boosted yields and income, particularly in rice and tomato production.
“Tomatoes remain difficult because of pests known as ‘Sharon,’ limited markets and lack of processing facilities,” Wakili said, adding that there were plans to establish a tomato processing plant in Bagwai to address up to 80 per cent of farmers’ challenges.
Human rights advocates said the crisis extended beyond economics. The Country Director of the International Human Rights Commission, Abdullahi Bakoji, said flooding, land degradation and climate disruptions were threatening farmers’ rights to food, income and dignity.
A legal practitioner, Isa Abdul’aziz, noted that while farmers were not specifically mentioned in the Constitution, Chapter IV guaranteed rights to life, dignity, property and association, while Chapter II mandated the state to ensure adequate livelihood, social justice and environmental protection.
Stakeholders agreed that addressing agricultural challenges in Kano would require coordinated action, including regulated and community-managed groundwater systems, climate-informed seed distribution, soil restoration, tree planting and affordable farm inputs.
They warned that without decisive intervention, falling water tables and rising production costs could deepen food insecurity, but expressed optimism that sustained investment and collaboration among farmers, government and civil society would strengthen the sector’s resilience.
