Farmers in Gombe State have resorted to early harvest to protect their crops herders and impending criminals who steal farm products, leading to a potential decrease in crop yields.
Due to the heightened risk of attacks, several farmers also opted for special prayers, while others sleep in the farm or employ labourers to guard their farms.
Nomadic herders often move from one place to another with their cattle in search of green pastures for their animals to graze, sometimes resulting in conflicts and clashes with farmers.
The face-off has led to the destruction of several farmlands, loss of lives, and displacement of many people. Apart from the destruction of farm produce and loss of lives that had been reported in the past, some herders still graze on crops roaming with their cattle, which was widely experienced during the 2023 wet season farming across Gombe State.
According to some farmers who spoke to The Sun, this has led to a decrease in the quality and quantity of their farm produce.
Apart from the menace of herders being faced by farmers the recent phenomenon of criminals who sneak to harvest and steal farm produce has added to the pains of farmers in Gombe State. As a result, the farmers are compelled to rush and harvest their crops before the usual time to prevent them from getting stolen.
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The development has left several farmers whose crops are not fully matured and due for harvest to devise means of protecting their produce while the crops finalize the process of maturity and drying up before harvest.
Dr. Ibrahim Ahmed Kawu, a lecturer with the Department of Soil Science at the Faculty of Agriculture at Federal University Kashere (FUK), is one of the farmers that were recently affected by the activities of herders in Gombe. “I have a farm along Gombe/Kumo road (that is Gombe Yola road), which I cultivated this year (2023), I first planted Millets on three hectares of farmland earlier in the season and herders went in and destroyed it all just when the crop started growing, I later planted 10 measures of Beans seeds at same the herders also destroys the beans completely, except for a portion of the farm where I planted Maize.”
“After struggling with the herders whom I could not catch, I was able to succeed and got a bumper harvest from the Maize, but I had to harvest and take home before the normal time due to the fear of the criminals. I had to harvest my Maize and Rice in the middle of September instead of the end of October that most farmers in the area normally harvest and take their produce home for storage.
Now, after taking the Maize home I have been spread it out in the Sun every day so it will dry up, unlike when we leave it to dry up properly and easily without stress on the farm, which is also the traditional and normal farming practice,” Kawu said.
He further explained that the rampant act of criminals going after crops and other farm produce is a new thing to most farmers and that the deed is slowly becoming a menace in the state, forcing farmers to start harvesting their crops before they are fully ripe. “So many farmers have been forced to harvest their produce before the desired time and that is bad. It is preferable to leave farm produce to lose its moisturer contents in the farm because it cuts cost and prevents insect infestations,” he said adding that several farmers have lost their entire crops to the criminals, leaving them with huge losses.
Musa Abdullahi Chiroma another farmer in Yamaltu/Deba LGA of Gombe State, revealed that the act of destruction or theft of farm produce by herders and criminals is a serious concern in their area, stating it poses great danger to the food security of the state. He explained that several farmers had shifted from cultivating food crops like Maize, Rice, Beans, and millet and opted for Sesame, Bambara nuts, Cotton, and other cash crops to avoid the risk of falling into the hands of herders.
“Some farmers employ as many as five people to guard their farms day and night, we pay up to N2000 to each person employed, that is N1000 during the day and another N1000 for those that stay for the night,” Chiroma explained adding that other farmers gather themselves to recite Qur’an and make some sacrifices in their farms for protection.
“We cannot just pretend that everything is okay when our farmers who produce food for us are left with a lot of challenges. After struggling to get fertilizer and other inputs, now we will be talking about herders and the people going out to steal these farm produce. I think the government and all stakeholders need to stand up and remedy these issues if we plan to feed ourselves as a state and nation,” Ibrahim stated.
However, responding to the situation of herders and farmers in the state, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya enacted a law suspending cattle movements and migration within or through the state during the harvest period. The suspension which is usually between October and January of every year is to allow farmers in the state to harvest their farm produce without the fear of herders who mostly begin their migration during the harvest period.
Yahaya also recently visited the national headquarters of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Abuja where he met with the Commandant General, Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi he brought to the fore, the herders and farmers’ challenges being experienced in the state.
According to a statement that was issued by Ismaila Uba Misilli the Director-General (DG) of Press Affairs Government House Gombe, Governor Yahaya sought enhanced collaboration between the state and security agencies especially the NSCDC in addressing pressing security issues, particularly in the agrarian region.
