FCT Community Identifies Land Deprivation, Herders Menace as Bane of Food Production
… demonstrates ability to feed FCT residents with yam tubers, others
Paschal Emeka
Despite all odds, indigenes of Idu, the host community of idu Industrial Area in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has demonstrated of their ability to feed the FCT residents and beyond, if encouraged by the government.
Speaking to our correspondent recently in the ancient community, a 25 year old farmer, Mohammed Nasir claimed that the community can feed the entire FCT with yam tubers, if encouraged by the government with enough farm lands, fertilizers, chemicals, finance, among others by the government.
“The fact remains that when the government takes our land and compensates us, we usually go to other areas to farm, because it is our occupation and we dont have any other occupation. Yes, the herders usually give us problems, but I am friendly with them, I usually gave them yams. So they don’t give me problem.
He continued: “In the last farming season I produced these heaps of yam tubers; I planted more than 10,000 seed yams. So for expansion, we need the government to assist us in the areas of availability of land, fertilizer, chemicals and finance, among others. If encouraged, we can feed the entire FCT with yam. These heaps are so small to be compared with the ones I have in the farm.”
Also, the Wazirin Idu, Chief Ango Isyaku who was reputed to be one of the biggest farmer during his youth admonished youths to embrace farming.
“I advise our young ones to keep on farming, so as to be able overcome the difficulties today.
“The problems we are encountering today are from the herders, who usually go into our farms to feed their cattle. As a result of that, they destroy our farm produce and we end up harvesting little or nothing. So we have been appealing to the government to help us in this direction. We produce enough for domestic uses, sales and further farming,” he disclosed.
Despite the usual misunderstanding between the farmers and the herders, coupled with the unavailability of farm lands as a result of various developments coming up in the community, they have been able to produce such heaps of yam tubers.
The village head of the community, Chief Mohammad Bawa Makama said: “Initially, we had acres of land, but it is no more like that now. Before now, a farmer in my village here, would have about 20 hectres of land which he would divide into three and be farming on one portion. When that portion seizes to be fertile, he then go to the other portions.
“But unfortunately, we can’t produce yams in large quantities, as before . These heaps of yam was produced in an area called Dagoma, in this my domain. These yams are different from other ones, because they are planted earlier than others; by that time, guinea corns are still standing in the farms and that is why you can see yams as big as these in the month of August.
” So the name of this yam is Yangode.”
Still lamenting the damages being done in their farms by the herders, he said that it has been hindering their efforts, the village chief informed that due to the problems, recently, the herders and the indigenes of Karmo, a nearby community clashed in their farms.
“We used to do New Yam Festival in the past, but we have not been doing that again, due to the fact that we don’t have enough land again, to go about our farm occupation, coupled with the problems of herders.”
While advising farmers in his domain to use their proceeds to get lands elsewhere, as they don’t have any other occupation, apart from farming, Chief Muhammad Bawa Makama therefore enjoined the government to always put the interest of the FCT indigenes into consideration, before allocating their lands out to the developers and industrialists.
“Let them be putting our interests into consideration, because we do neither have any other community to live in, nor any other land to farm on, the monarch pleaded.”
