This insightful conversation was urgently held in reality a changed rainfall pattern and which constituted concern as the Nigerian food system is largely rain-dependent.
The Episode has as it is Gest, Shuqrah Umar, an agricultural professional with specialization in irrigation and many years of experience in the field.
Shuqrah leads two visionary enterprise in Nigeria -founded Sierra Alpha Resource (an irrigation system and inputs supplier for agricultural industry) and established Sierra Innovations Ltd (providing local irrigation solutions and technical services to farmer and agricultural enthusiasts).
We began this discussion assessing the rainfall realities around Nigeria and comparing with the predictions of the body charged with weather and climate predictions in the nation, NIMET (Nigerian Meteorological Agency).
While it tallied in few cases and especially for states and regions looked at -Lagos state, Kwara state, Oyo state, South West, Coastal and North Central Regions -with early rainfall onset and late ending of wet season, it was not for many others, and this informed the need for supplementary irrigation.
This irregular was determined to have deeper impacts beyond food supply but to also hunger, poverty and conflicts.
What irrigation means was addressed, termed to be artificial and human approach to providing water to plants -and for other water uses, for rearing animals, drinking, cooking, and hygiene purpose -as against a natural phenomenon, rainfall.
A proper definition helps to understand water uses and what would be required address and satisfy them.
This was the approach advised for embarking on irrigation set up; to determine water availability, uses, and then plan and develop gradually, than spontaneously implement and largely without a broader picture.
Different irrigation methods were considered, flood, basin, furrow, sprinkle, and drip, and their pros and cons to to help make informed and best decision and get productive outcome. Considering efficiency of irrigation method was advised so as not to waste resources and/or compound cost and therefore defeating part of purposes of irrigation.
Looking at the peculiar socio-economic condition of Nigerian major food producers and their inculpabilities to make costly irrigation investment, we considered connecting opportunities to challenges, innovative irrigation strategies and payment model.
We discovered that while farmers do not have adequate irrigation there were water bodies. A problem of inaccessibility to a lack and/or inadequate infrastructure was identified and thus the call for public investment to support producers.
Private sector role in sustainable irrigation model was also looked and their capacity to inject funds, provide quality managerial function were highlighted but that impatience and risk presented challenges. In tandem, the need for better risk management entail collaboration of stakeholders was emphasized.
This approach was also advised for irrigation payment model, where farming must be done as a business to not only yield bounty harvest to also impact livelihoods of farmers and thus that while farmers must pay, the payment model must consider their precarious situation and importance to the nation.
Farmers pulling resources together to lower irrigation cost and enable access, bundling, cost recovery were exploited.
We thought that it was best there was a unified approached to irrigation for this not only but also for environmental management and sustainability.
With individual farmer having to drill their own borehole to access water, the risk of pollution and water table depletion arises and increases.
Cost-effective innovative concept as rain harvesting was considered, and advised but warned it is not an absolute replacement but should serve as supplement.
Sustainable irrigation was implored to be seen as an ecosystem than mere set up and this way increases success -agronomy (climate-adaptive seeds), hardware, choices, etc.
