Inconsistent rainfall may affect food harvests – Experts warn

Some experts have restated that the inconsistent rainfall being experienced in the country may affect food harvests in 2024 and beyond.

The experts said this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.

Ms Gloria Bulus, an environmental expert and founder of Bridge-that-Gap Initiative, said the inconsistent rainfall would result in increased food shortage and hunger.

“The inconsistencies in annual rainfall we have been experiencing means we will also be experiencing poor yields.

“There are certain crops that need to be planted at a particular time of the year for them to thrive, so with these inconsistencies, the harvest of such crops will be affected.

“Also at the point some crops are meant to be harvested and it is still raining, it will lead to the destruction of the harvest and automatically threaten food security.

“These rain inconsistencies will ultimately increase food shortage and poverty among farmers.

“Poor yields will affect incomes leading to increase in hunger, high cost of food and poverty levels in the country,” Bulus said.

On his part, an agriculture consultant, Mr Charles Idonije, said aside rain inconsistencies, issues of insecurity can threaten food security in the country.

“The rain inconsistencies may or may not affect food harvest this year because Nigeria is endowed with quality soil texture that can be able to retain ground water for a long time however serious farming even up north make do of irrigation systems.

“There has always been stop gaps of rain shortfalls in time past which was not too felt like the insecurity insurgence from herdsmen and Boko Haram.

“The food security challenges we are facing in Nigeria is not factored on natural tendencies but rather on human diabolic ways and means.

“While the government still has a huge role to play in ensuring that the right infrastructure is implemented such as mechanised divisional farming, building more dams for effective irrigation, roads networks from farm to table, silos, and agriculture financing etc.

“The major militating factor against food insecurity is the Boko Haram/herdsmen insurgencies that has almost become an incurable disease in the country,” Idonije said.