AGRA

By Content Hub

In the State of Kadun in Nigeria, amidst sprawling rice paddies, we meet 34-years-old Zaharadeen Zailani in the bustling city of Zaria, the headquarters of the Zaria local government council and the traditional Zaria emirate.

Zaharadeen, was born disabled in 1990, but this has not deterred his spirit, despite living with disability, he is a beacon of inspiration in his community as he mentors and shares his knowledge with community members and encourages them to pursue their passion regardless of the circumstances, they find themselves in.

At first sight, you might view Zaharadeen’s condition as a barrier, but he sees it as an opportunity to redefine what success could look like. His passion for agriculture made him venture into farming where he cultivates rice, maize, and soya beans.

His impact has extended beyond his farm, and he has turned his rice paddies into demo plots sharing his skills with the community.

“Sometimes people are amazed about how I manage to farm because of my physical disability. I usually tell them; that disability is not inability. I can farm,” says Zaharadeen.

Zaharadeen is among thousands of smallholder farmers across sub-Saharan Africa who have benefited from AGRA’s empowerment programs, and through improved technologies and access to markets are transforming agriculture and consequently enhancing food and nutrition security within their communities.

In Nigeria, the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) introduced recently, is empowering small-scale rice farmers to produce more from using less water, less seeds, and lower costs of production compared to paddy rice.

The method which has four main components – soil fertility management, planting methods, weed control and water (irrigation) management, makes it ideal for small-scale farmers that have in the recent past been affected by extreme weather events such as frequent flooding and droughts.

“I now have a different experience especially after meeting AGRA and the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS), because they have taught us how to transform our farming from old ways to new methods,” says Zaharadeen.

He adds that he has now been sharing his knowledge with his community as a way of empowering them. As a Community-Based Advisor (CBA), Zaharadeen owns a rice demo plot where he has adopted the SRI method and trains other smallholder farmers.

“Some farmers within the community come to me and ask me about the new farming method and the challenges. Some have started adopting it, but a few are still sceptical, but with time everybody will get onboarded,” he says.

Rice farming in Nigeria is considered a major thing as the country is the largest producer and consumer of rice in Africa. Official data indicates that, as of the end of 2021, the country produced about five million metric tonnes of rice against a demand of 6.8 million metric tonnes per annum. Additionally, 90 percent of the rice is grown on paddies by resource-constrained smallholder farmers.

To address the deficit issue, SRI was introduced in Nigeria, and Kaduna State is one of the areas where this has been intensified. SRI is a climate-smart agriculture method that could address rice shortage in the country with environmental, economic, and social benefits to both small- and large-scale farmers.

In April, AGRA Kaduna Consortium lead and NAERLS visited Zaharadeen’s rice demo plot where the SRI method is being used. During the visit, AGRA Nigeria Country Program Lead, Juliette Lampoh handed a pumping machine to Zaharadeen to enhance irrigation for his demo.