Mutiat Kilasho was 12 when she began to show interest in her father’s rice farm.
After three years of apprenticeship with him, she began cultivating a local variety of the crop named after her community – Ofada, in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, south-west Nigeria.
In 2017, Mutiat secured five hectares of land in the area to start her rice farm. The yields were good in the first two years but then followed a downturn. She persevered with the consistent poor returns until last year when she decided to quit.
Now 25, Mutiat identified a change in the pattern of rainfall as the source of the change of fortunes for rice farmers in the area. She said as the rains became heavier, they washed away her crop and left her in debt season after season.
“Things were going smoothly when I started but the ofada rice started experiencing problems two years after. In the first instance, I thought I would be able to control the problems but the flood continues to wash the crops away every year.
“I had no other choice than to stop the rice farming when the level of indebtedness was too much for me and unbearable,” she told PREMIUM TIMES.
Over the last decade, the weather pattern in Nigeria has changed significantly. There has been a significant surge in rainfall in some parts of the country, which has affected the largely rain-fed farming activities.
Research by the Climate Change portal of the World Bank indicates that the southern part of Nigeria experienced heavy rainfall during rainy seasons between 1991 and 2020, with annual rainfall usually above 2,000mm, and up to 4,000 mm and more in the Niger Delta.
The research also showed that coastal areas experienced a short drier season with most rain occurring from March to October.
In the North, rain only fell from June to September in the range of 500 mm to 750 mm. The rest of the year was hot and dry. Northern areas have a high degree of annual variation in their rainfall regime, which results in flooding and droughts.
Data obtained from the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) by our reporter also confirmed an increase in rainfall in the range of 1000mm to above 2000mm in different parts of the country.
Excessive rainfall related to climate change significantly threatens natural resources, food production and people’s livelihoods around the world. In Nigeria, farming is largely based on natural conditions. Crops and livestock have their ideal weather and seasons.
Ms Kilasho said she constructed drainage around the farm to control flooding but it was ineffective due to the heavy rainfall during that period.
“I consulted professional farmers and I was advised to construct a drainage on the farm to divert the flood but nothing changed,” she added.
Ofada rice is the most common variety of rice grown in Ogun State. It is distinguished by its unique flavour and texture. It does not contain much starch and is commonly prescribed for people who are diabetic. The crop is grown on free-draining soil where the water table is permanently below the roots of the plant. The rice is popular across the South-west region but many farmers have stopped cultivating it.
The crop cannot withstand prolonged heavy rainfall, as it either washes it away or causes it to fail, resulting in huge losses for farmers.
Ms Kilasho’s father, Biliamin Kilasho, 65, stopped large-scale farming in 2021 after floods ravaged his farm. Mr Kilasho started growing Ofada rice in 1986 on a hectare of land, which he gradually expanded to 20 hectares. At the height of his prosperity, he employed 10 workers as farmhands.
“When we started, the land was fertile, the rice grew faster and I made a lot of money. But things have changed now, the land is no longer fertile and rice is not growing the normal way it used to,” he narrated.
“Rice plantations cannot withstand heavy rainfall. I tried to control the effect but all the methods were still not proactive. Because I couldn’t control the effect and the loss was too much for me to bear, I had to stop the Ofada rice business.”
Habibatu Olorunlogbon, a mother of five, also stopped cultivating Ofada rice last year after floods wreaked havoc on her farmland.
“I pulled out of the business and started garri production. I cannot quantify the loss I incurred on Ofada rice production. Sometimes we made gains but most times we recorded losses especially when we experienced high rainfall,’’ Mrs Olorunlogbon told PREMIUM TIMES.
“If rain does not fall, it will affect the crop but if the rain is too much, the plant will fall and it may even wash away.”
The Chairman of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, Ogun State Chapter, Adeshina Arikoserere, also confirmed to our reporter that there are many instances where floods ravaged farmlands where Ofada rice is being cultivated in different parts of the state.
He said many members of his association abandoned their farmlands as a result of the financial loss they incurred from the flood situation and other challenges.
“There is no way the crop can survive if there is heavy rainfall. There are many instances where floods ravaged our farms but if there is no heavy rainfall, the Ofada rice will grow normally,” Mr Arikoserere said.
Shortfall in production of Ofada rice
A study by Oxfam Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation working to influence policy change in favour of the poor and most vulnerable, shows that Nigeria needs to improve local food production to ensure food security.
Environmental and climate change activists say if farmers continue to pull out of production, it may lead to food insecurity in Nigeria.
The Executive Director of Youths in Agro-Ecology and Restoration Network, Opeyemi Elujulo, said farmers stopping the cultivation of Ofada rice will affect people in the South-west region.
“It is one of the major foods in Ogun State. If they keep pulling out, of course, that will affect food production,” Mr Elujulo said.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) projected that about 2.5 million people in Nigeria would face acute food insecurity during the June to August 2023 lean season. That figure is higher than the 19.45 million the global organisation projected in 2022. The agency is yet to release its projections for 2024.
But the situation may worsen. Mr Kilasho told our reporter that the production and circulation of the local Ofada rice has declined in Ogun State and other south-west states in the last five years.
The decline in production makes Ofada rice expensive for the average Nigerian. “About seven to 10 years ago, we used to sell 20kg of Ofada rice for N5,000. But as of last year, it was sold for N40,000. We don’t know what will happen this year,” he stressed.
The Chairman of the Rice Farmers Association in Ogun State also told our reporter that many farmers have left the local rice business.
Mr Arikoserere said most farmers do not have the resources to control the challenges they encounter on the farm.
“The production and circulation of Ofada rice has really depreciated because many of the farmers have left for other businesses. We are still organising sensitisation for them to return to their farms and looking forward to the rainy season.
“The production and circulation of Ofada rice have reduced compared to what we had in the past because most of the farmers lack resources to control the problems they always encounter on their farms and the lack of subsidized input such as chemicals and fertiliser and other things that can help us on the farm,” he added.
When asked about members of his association that had abandoned production of the local rice in the state, Mr Arikoserere said he could not ascertain the number but noted that they are ‘many.’
“The truth is that many have abandoned their farms because of the challenges they faced on the farms,” he said.
Abiola Kushoro, a resident of Lagos State, told our reporter that she no longer eats Ofada rice.
“We used to eat Ofada rice at least three times a week before but we have stopped it because our parents can no longer afford it.
Mrs Kushoro said her cousin also abandoned his rice farm three years ago.
“He used to supply us but he stopped the business about three years ago. I rarely see Ofada rice in circulation in my area now,” Mrs Kushoro added.
Bukola Kasali, a rice seller in Lafenwa market in Abeokuta, said the circulation of the local rice has reduced compared to the past.
ALSO READ: SPECIAL REPORT: No relief for Nigerians as sky-high food prices bite harder
“I have stopped selling Ofada rice, I am now selling foreign rice. I stopped last year. The people who used to deliver the local rice to us in the market stopped delivering and the little portion I was able to get was very expensive. In fact, I ate my last stock because people didn’t buy it because it was too expensive,” the rice seller added.
Way forward
Mr Elujulo said there should be constant capacity-building programmes for farmers and implementation of the loss and damages fund agreed at the Conference of Parties (COP) to compensate countries vulnerable to climate change.
Mr Elujulo also recommended the adoption of agroecology to build resilience in the impact of flooding and resettling of people displaced by flood and other natural effects to help farmers.
“Some of the ways forward will be support for the farmers and implementation of the loss and damages of the climate system. Putting those measures in place to address the lingering impact of climate change will be a good way to go about it. Also, building the capacity of farmers on how to produce, in a way that increases their resilience to flooding events and all that.
“We have talked about the concept of agroecology and how it helps to address some of these impacts and other best practices that can help to build resilience in the impact of flooding.
“Flooding in most parts of Nigeria is also traceable to the way we dump our refuse and manage our waste and waterways. That is one of the things that need to also be addressed to ensure that the overflow is not coming to the farmlands.”
Accessibility of Ofada rice
Ofada rice is traditionally grown in Ogun State but is also popular in other southwestern states such as Osun, Ekiti and Lagos.
A market survey in the states showed that Ofada rice is no longer as popular as it was five to 10 years ago. In all the markets our reporter visited, Ofada rice was only available in small quantities in Lafenwa and Kuto markets in Abeokuta. Few supermarkets also had Ofada rice in stock across the states.
Folake Oyebiyi, an Ofada rice seller in Kuto market in Abeokuta, said the rice has become too expensive for many of her customers.
“I order large stocks but the suppliers have stopped bringing in large quantities. Ofada rice is now scarce everywhere,” she added.
The farmers’ association chairman also said many of the producers of Ofada rice prefer to export the little quantity available.
“There is not enough paddy rice and that is why Ofada rice is very expensive. Another problem is that people are hoarding the little Ofada rice they are producing so they can export it and make more money,” Mr Arikoserere said.
