Irrigation Farming: AMDF, KickStart – International, Omni Agrik Urge Media Advocacy, Govt Support for Smallholder Farmers

Kaduna, Northwest Nigeria

The Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF), KickStart – International and Omni Agrik Specialties Ltd. have called for stronger media advocacy and increased government support to promote small-scale irrigation farming as a pathway to improving farmers’ livelihoods, strengthening food security and reducing Nigeria’s dependence on seasonal rainfall amid the challenges of climate change.

The session, held at the AMDF Conference Hall, examined the challenges facing small-scale farmers who depend largely on rain-fed agriculture, the economic implications of seasonal farming and the need to make affordable irrigation technologies accessible to farming communities.

Participants noted that smallholder farmers play a significant role in Nigeria’s food production but often struggle to sustain their livelihoods beyond the rainy season. The situation, compounded by climate change, exposes them to production losses, unstable incomes and difficulties in meeting their families’ needs.

The meeting consequently challenged journalists to use their platforms to raise awareness about irrigation farming, amplify the challenges confronting farmers and draw the attention of policymakers to practical interventions that could transform the agricultural sector.

Speaking on the objectives of the initiative, Dr. Ademola Festus, West Africa Regional Manager of KickStart International, described the engagement with journalists as productive and expressed optimism that the knowledge shared would reach farmers and contribute to improving their livelihoods.

KickStart – International, a US-based social enterprise non-governmental organisation, focuses on helping smallholder farmers overcome poverty through access to appropriate and affordable irrigation solutions that support year-round farming.

Dr. Festus explained that the organisation promotes simple irrigation technologies, including manually operated water pumps that enable farmers to irrigate their fields without depending on petrol or diesel-powered equipment.

According to him, the pumps are designed for small-scale agricultural operations, are relatively affordable and require minimal maintenance, making them suitable for farmers who cannot afford expensive irrigation infrastructure.

He urged the government to complement investments in large irrigation projects with practical, small-scale solutions that individual farmers and farming communities can readily adopt.

“We are doing this by also introducing very simple small-scale irrigation technologies from KickStart, which are manually powered irrigation pumps that do not require you to buy petrol or diesel and can be used on small acres of land.

“They are affordable and, above all, require very little maintenance. So we want to work with journalists to propagate this technology and bring awareness to many farmers who are not involved in small-scale irrigation agriculture, as well as draw the attention of government to these simple technologies, rather than focusing only on big irrigation projects,” he said.

Dr. Festus stressed that media engagement was essential to extending the reach of such interventions, noting that many promising initiatives could remain unnoticed without effective reporting.

“Without the media amplifying what is going on in our communities, some of these things remain just there. Nothing happens,” he added.

He disclosed that KickStart – International had implemented projects in collaboration with federal, state and local governments, as well as international development organisations, to advance its agricultural interventions.

The organisation, he explained, also works through distributors and partners who support farmers with training and technical guidance. Its approach includes collaboration with government agencies, local and international non-governmental organisations, United Nations agencies, microfinance institutions and corporate social responsibility programmes.

He added that KickStart adopts a market-based approach to sustain the distribution and use of its irrigation solutions.

During the session, participants were shown some of the irrigation pumps promoted by the organisation and received explanations on their operation, coverage and suitability for small-scale farming.

Festus explained that the pumps could support irrigation across considerable distances under suitable conditions, depending on the model, terrain and water supply.

He encouraged governments to consider adopting the technology and supporting its wider distribution among smallholder farmers.

“Of course, we have seen quite a number of governments that have actually bought the pumps. The problem is that, in Nigeria, we want very big things. So why don’t we just start small and then grow big?” he asked.

He also emphasised the importance of investing in agricultural infrastructure, including storage facilities and collection points, to help farmers preserve their produce, reduce losses and improve access to markets.

The resource persons further highlighted the importance of home gardening, encouraging households to cultivate vegetables and other suitable crops where space and water are available.

They noted that backyard gardening could improve access to fresh produce and give households greater control over some of the food they consume, irrespective of the prevailing rainfall pattern, provided they have a reliable water source.

Also speaking, Dr. Yila Umaru Lakorok of Omni Agrik Specialties Ltd. stressed that access to irrigation equipment must be complemented by practical agricultural training to enable farmers to improve productivity and make informed business decisions.

He observed that many farmers lacked proper record-keeping practices and were often unable to determine whether their farming activities were profitable.

According to him, some farmers do not adequately calculate the costs of land preparation, fertilisers, seeds and other inputs before selling their produce, making it difficult for them to assess their actual earnings or losses.

Dr. Lakorok said Omni Agrik Specialties trains farmers in market-oriented crop production, agronomic practices, water management and other skills required to improve agricultural productivity.

He particularly cautioned against inefficient irrigation practices, especially the indiscriminate flooding of farmland, which he said could contribute to soil erosion, uneven water distribution and the movement of fertilisers across fields.

He explained that irrigation should be applied in a manner that supplies crops with the water they need while conserving available resources and protecting soil quality.

According to him, appropriately selected methods, including drip irrigation and suitable sprinkler systems, can help deliver water more efficiently to crops, depending on the farming conditions.

He maintained that improved water management, combined with proper agronomic practices, could contribute to healthier crops and better harvests.

Dr. Lakorok further observed that smallholder farmers remain central to Nigeria’s food production but are frequently trapped in poverty because of their dependence on rainfall.

He explained that rain-fed agriculture leaves farmers vulnerable to changing weather conditions, including droughts, irregular rainfall and flooding, which can destroy crops and undermine household incomes.

He said small-scale irrigation could help break this cycle by enabling farmers to cultivate suitable crops during the dry season, earn income more consistently and improve their families’ living conditions.

“What we are trying to do is to raise awareness about the importance of small-scale irrigation farming, particularly what in Nigeria we call dry-season farming, to the economy of small-scale farmers,” he said.

“Small-scale farmers are the major producers of food in Nigeria, and they have lived in a vicious cycle of poverty because they are dependent on rain-fed agriculture.

“Rain-fed agriculture is open to distortions because of climate change, leading to either drought or flooding, which makes farmers incur losses. It leaves farmers idle for almost seven to eight months in a year, reducing their ability to earn income for their families,” he added.

Dr. Lakorok noted that adopting irrigation farming could improve farmers’ financial circumstances, enhance household nutrition and contribute to better living standards.

He therefore called on journalists to intensify public awareness of the benefits of irrigation while urging the government to introduce meaningful policies and interventions that would make irrigation farming more accessible and affordable.

Earlier, the Executive Director of AMDF, Sekyen Dadik, thanked KickStart International and Omni Agrik Specialties Ltd. for partnering with the foundation to organise the training.

She encouraged journalists to strengthen development journalism by reporting issues affecting communities, particularly those in rural and hard-to-reach areas, and drawing attention to the interventions needed to address them.

According to her, media reports often help government officials identify challenges in communities that might otherwise receive little attention.

Dadik explained that development journalism provides an avenue for journalists to investigate and report issues across critical sectors, including education, health, agriculture and the environment, while promoting constructive engagement between citizens and policymakers.

She said AMDF had organised several capacity-building programmes to equip journalists with the knowledge and skills required to report development issues more effectively.

The foundation, she added, had also recognised the value of collaborating with organisations and professionals with specialised knowledge to improve the quality and impact of its reporting initiatives.

She recalled that AMDF began its food security project in 2021, with Dr. Lakorok supporting the initiative, and explained that partnerships with experts help journalists better understand complex issues and identify practical solutions for communities.

The training also highlighted the contribution of women to small-scale irrigation farming.

Dr. Festus said women constituted a significant proportion of those purchasing and managing irrigation pumps, adding that their participation could strengthen household food and income security.

He cited the Women Farmers Advancement Network (WUFAN), a local non-governmental organisation based in Kano and headed by Hajiya Salamatu Garova, as an example of an organisation working to advance women farmers.

According to him, women who adopt irrigation farming can improve their access to food and income, thereby reducing their dependence on other household earners.

The discussion reinforced the need to recognise and support women farmers through access to irrigation equipment, relevant training, finance and other agricultural resources.

The session ended with participants breaking into groups to discuss the challenges associated with irrigation farming and present possible solutions.

Their deliberations centred on the need to strengthen public awareness, promote affordable irrigation technologies, improve farmers’ technical knowledge and encourage government policies that would expand access to irrigation facilities.

The engagement underscored the importance of collaboration among the media, agricultural experts, development organisations and government institutions in promoting sustainable irrigation farming.

As Nigeria continues to confront the effects of climate change and the challenges of food production, participants stressed that expanding access to small-scale irrigation could help farmers make better use of available water resources, extend their farming seasons and improve their livelihoods.

For millions of smallholder farmers whose livelihoods depend on the land, the wider adoption of affordable irrigation could represent an important step towards more reliable food production, stronger rural economies and improved household welfare.