THE summer cropping season is upon us.
Let us not be caught napping.
The Command Agriculture Programme has all our farmers excited, but not everyone is taking part in the programme that will only work for and benefit farmers with irrigation facilities.
I am prompted to address the issue of agriculture again for it is not a light matter, but the very issue on which the full recovery of our economy depends.
The fact is, production will be guaranteed for those with dams and irrigation systems in place.
But not all of us have access to dams.
And we will have to rely on rain-fed agriculture.
However, the absence of dams does not spell doom for the rest of farmers.
While we are assured of production under the Command Agriculture Programme the same cannot be said for farmers who depend on the rains.
Effects of climate change have wreaked havoc and the farmer has been severely affected.
Past seasons have not been very good for farmers who depend on rains.
Vagaries of our climate have literally driven some farmers out of business.
Either rains have come too early or too late, resulting in crop failure.
Or the rains have not fallen at all in some areas, resulting in recurring droughts that have disheartened many a producer.
Recurring droughts have left the country with no option but to spend millions of dollars importing grain to avert starvation and malnutrition.
Our economic recovery efforts must be hinged on a thriving agriculture sector.
A colleague in the industry hit the nail on the head when he said: “Seek ye the growth of agriculture first and everything shall be given unto you.”
He alluded to the fact that millions of dollars in aid will not help the country if our agriculture is not working.
Indeed we cannot escape the fact that our development – sustainable development – has to be agro-based.
Thus as a nation we must have more strategies in place besides the noble Command Agriculture programme.
And there are some simple and not expensive strategies to employ.
It is time that many of us, not just a few, adopt drought resistant crops.
While maize will be guaranteed under Command Agriculture, let the other part of producers focus on crops such as sorghum and millet.
Let us produce drought and heat tolerant groundnuts, roundnuts and cowpeas.
Producers in dry regions should not plant maize but concentrate on drought resistant crops.
Farmers must also adopt conservation cultivation methods.
It will be prudent for farmers to use organic fertiliser instead of modern fertiliser which needs a lot of water.
Animal husbandry has been growing in recent years and farmers can use manure from cattle, goats, pigs, chicken and other domestic animals to substitute for modern fertilisers.
We know our scientists are busy conducting research into drought-resistant seeds which is an indication that Government and various stakeholders would want to see the country achieve food security in the short-term.
In our universities, scientists are conducting studies on faster-maturing and drought-tolerant seed varieties that will benefit our producers.
Institutions like the Scientific and Industrial Research and Development Centre (SIRDC), in partnership with local universities and Biotechnology Research Institute (BRI) are working around the clock to ensure that our farmers are not at the mercy of the elements.
Let us seriously think about and adopt drought resistant crops.
Success in agriculture will boost economic recovery efforts.