As attacks on farmers intensified across Nigeria, Fatima Bello from Sokoto abandoned dry season farming.
The smallholder farmer of rice, millet and beans shared her experience of farming under constant threat.
"During the dry season last year, I did not even plant anything because of this issue of insecurity," she said. "What I would have produced that I would have used for my family and also take to the market, other people are going to benefit from what I will sell. They will buy, but now it means if I don't produce anything, then it means I will not have been able to have something to use."
Violent attacks, land levies and kidnappings have forced many farmers to abandon their lands, driving up food inflation. In response, the government declared a state of emergency on food security in 2023 and recently deployed 10,000 agro rangers across 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Their mission is to safeguard farmland and mediate conflicts, especially in areas hit by farmer-herder clashes.
Bello sees this as a positive step.
"I think it is welcomed development," she said. "It has just been started, so we need to see, maybe take some time. Then we will be able to know the impact."
Affirming the rangers’ readiness to restore safety across the food belt, Babawale Afolabi, a spokesperson for the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, says all hands are on deck.
"Our operatives have been on top of the game since the commissioning of the agro rangers squad nationwide. ... The agro ranger is a well-seasoned, trained and formidable special force, and we thank the federal government for providing necessary logistics so far," he said.
"We have increased and upskilled our intelligent base so we can tackle head-on rising challenges," he said. "We are all for engaging the communities to create awareness on how to give credible information."
Plateau, Zamfara, Niger and other states considered hot zones for farmer insecurity are supporting the squad with logistics.
While praising the government’s intervention, farmer and agricultural economist Retson Tedheke stresses the need for more personnel.
"It's a very good thing," he said, "but 10,000 is a very small number. If you ask me, there are over 150,000 polling units. Multiply that by five, that should be the agro rangers we have. And not just in the agro ranger level - if you are sending five agro rangers in a particular location, send five extension workers."
Tedheke warns that addressing the root causes of insecurity in farming communities requires sustained effort.
"Nigerian farmers should be getting loans at between 5% and 7%," he said, "because we are producing food. ... Food security is a major component of political development, governmental development and leadership development.”
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says that 22 million Nigerians could face food insecurity in 2024, with projections rising to 82 million by 2030.
