Smallholder farmers grow 90% of Nigeria’s food but their crops are vulnerable to ever more extreme weather linked to climate change. New technologies can help. Michael Okorie, 54, wanders through a narrow muggy track on his way to his farm, wagging a cutlass and whistling some local Christian hymns. His tune makes him seem excited, but the expression on his face suggests subdued worries.
At the outset of yam planting season in February last year, he secured a loan of 60,000 Naira ($166) to make up his budget for yam farming. The loan came with a commitment to repay after harvest in a few months’ time.
He prepared nearby land and hired labourers to raise 316 heaps in readiness for the early rains of March that mark the start of the planting season. The rain softens the land so the yam tubers can take root and not dry up.
But the rains didn’t come in March, except for a few drops that quickly evaporated. Confused, Okorie planted in early April – praying his work would succeed.
The rain came in May, but it was too heavy and frequent. Flash floods followed, submerging his farm, dissolving the ridges, and scattering the yam seedlings in the nearby bushes.
“I lost a lot last year and got into heavy debt,” says Okorie. “It wasn’t this way in the past. Rain came in its time. Sunshine came in its season. Same as harmattan [seasonal winds]. But the seasons are becoming mysterious.”

Okorie’s experience mirrors that of millions of other farmers, suffering from a sudden twist in weather conditions. Farmers report the late onset of rains and dry spells, rises in temperatures, heavy downpours and other unseasonable weather events – all potential consequences of climate change.
These changes have thrown out the normal seasons for planting, harvesting, weeding, applying fertilizers and storage.
The cost, experts warn, could be very high – particularly against the backdrop of an expected population boom, with Africa’s population set to double by 2050.
Feeding the population right now are smallholder farmers like Okorie, who produce around 90% of food in Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, according to figures from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. The changing seasons and population growth will put an incredible pressure on the continent’s food production.
While times are tough, there are technological solutions on the horizon. The innovations can’t come quick enough for Nigeria’s farmers like Okorie, and those they feed.

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