By Maria Famakinwa

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In keeping with the scarcity of food and  hard times in  the society nowadays, backyard farming for most families has been a source of sustenance for their daily diet as the prices of food, vegetables, and other commodities including fruits soar in the market.

Backyard farming is becoming the order of the day. One would hardly see a household without a cultivated backyard. Even the wealthy ones are not left out as they embrace sack farming in their tiled compounds. Just as some are converting any available space within their companies or communities to farm if only to beat the ‘Ebi n pawa’ slogan that has permeated every state in the country. There have been calls from well-meaning Nigerians including the federal and state governments that the only solution to hunger is for the citizens to return to the farm. For those who heed the call, feeding their families has become easy for them. Some even sell some of their produce to get extra money while others without backyard farming struggle to buy exorbitant food prices.

Findings by The Hope show that the farmers are largely planting crops such as maize, potatoes, cassava, groundnuts, beans, yams, peppers, tomatoes, and in  few cases, rice. Some of the farmers who spoke lamented the persistent hunger in the land due to the surge in food prices and the need for the government to implement policies that will ameliorate the economic hardship faced by many Nigerians.

According to a trader, Mr Alex Adetunji, it is an important aspect of family support that an ideal African man cannot do without. “Aside from the fact that the hike in food prices is forcing many to embrace farming, I have been farming before I got married because my father was a farmer. Every year, I plant pepper, tomatoes, and vegetables. I also plant cocoyam and beans.

“It is good for every family to farm at least to plant what they will eat. If not for farming I don’t know how I would have been able to buy what my family would eat in a situation like this because we are seven all together. Before now, I used to give my neighbours yams, pepper, and tomatoes but I stopped after advising some of them to go into farming and they refused. Now, that they cannot afford the prices of foodstuffs, some of them are farming. If everybody embraces backyard farming, prices of staple foods will flood the markets and prices will be forced to come down,” he said.

A first-time farmer, in the Elegbeka community, Mrs. Wuraola Idowu, explained that the high cost of foodstuffs made her go into farming last year and added that her decision has been of help to her family. She said: “I would not have become a farmer if not for the hunger in the land. Even though I still buy foodstuffs to augment  the ones I get from my farm, yet, I feel the impact, what then would have happened if I buy all my foodstuffs from the market? Some people say that the prices of foodstuffs are coming down but I don’t think so because garri, pupuru, and semovita among others are still beyond the reach of the common man. I started last year by planting cassava at  a plot of land beside my house, I was surprised that after harvesting, I made garri and fufu from it and I sold the remaining cassava at  a good price. Since then, I made up my mind to plant only cassava which I have planted and will harvest it next year.

“This has been helping me in terms of feeding and meeting other needs. The only problem I have are rodents that destroyed some of my cassava last year. The hunger that pushed me into farming is a blessing in disguise otherwise, If I had known, I would have considered farming as an option before now. Due to what I made from farming last year, some of my neighbours and families are now into farming. I am also on the lookout for any available space for planting. Though I use my backyard to plant maize it is not enough. Everyone must embrace farming because that is the only solution to hunger.”

Sharing a similar sentiment, a civil servant, Mr Tayo Ayanfe, who is into tomato farming disclosed that he started this year and has made huge profits especially a few months ago when tomatoes were scarce. He said: “Tomatoes farmers are making huge profits because it is a daily need. I don’t depend on my salary to feed again. The salary has not been enough for me not to talk about feeding my family. No doubt, I borrowed some money last year to start the business but I have paid all and also made gains from the business.”

However, Mr Ayanfe, lamented that the ones he planted months ago, had been giving him challenges because the rain had seized. “I am disturbed because the rain has seized which has affected my tomatoes. Other farmers are having similar challenges. Even though we are wetting the crops, it cannot be compared to rain. If a stick of tomato is destroyed due to lack of rain, it will take weeks to recover it due to processes involved in tomato planting. We pray for God’s intervention for rain to fall so that we don’t experience scarcity of food again. Aside from this, farming is a lucrative business that provides you with money and foodstuffs. If I had gone into farming earlier, probably, I would have resigned my appointment. Others too should go into farming, if only to plant what your family will eat, it will go a long way to reduce hunger,” he advised.

An engineer, Mr Bode Akinwale, who embraced sack farming in his tiled compound at Oba-Ile said  hunger compelled him to farm even though his compound was tiled. He said: “I attended a seminar last year where I was educated that I could do sack farming because my compound was tiled. I doubted how that could be possible but decided to give it a trial. I got some loamy soil and packed them in twelve sacks, I planted yam in each of the sacks and made holes around the sack as I was instructed. My wife was surprised when the yams started germinating. I make it a point of duty to wet it early in the morning except when it rains. I noticed that the sacks  started expanding as the yams became bigger until some of them tore. I was advised to give it at least five months before harvesting which I obeyed. When it was time for harvesting, I could not believe that some produced two big yams.

“My wife was so happy because it was the time that most families could not afford to buy yams as a tuber goes for between N3000 and N5000 depending on the size. It was the miracle my family needed at that time to survive hunger. I am also doing the same this year again hopeful of a bountiful harvest. Some of my friends who knew about my style of farming are also doing the same since one cannot do anything in the face of hunger. I am also thinking of getting land around where I can plant cassava because my monthly take home together with that of my wife is no longer sustainable for the family. That is why all Nigerians must return to farm so that hunger will be a thing of the past in our country, ” he counsels.