How Climate- Resilient seeds are Transforming Smallholder Farmers’ Livelihoods in Gombe

Over 2,000 smallholder farmers in Gombe State are celebrating a dramatic turnaround in their fortunes, reporting significant improvements in productivity and household income following targeted interventions by the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project.

Beneficiaries who spoke to Daily Trust in Sabon Garin Zambuk village, Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area, credit a powerful combination of improved seedlings and solar-powered boreholes for transforming their farming operations, particularly during the dry season.

Improved Yield, Higher Income

Beneficiaries noted that the intervention has been nothing short of life changing as the provision of improved seedlings has led to a remarkable surge in output.

Farmers have seen a lot of changes as small quantity of fertilizer now provide higher yields with output doubling on some farm fields.

Before the intervention, farmers that usually harvest about five bags of maize from a piece of land now harvest up to 10 bags from the same land. These improvements have been witnessed in rice, tomatoes and other vegetables.

The farmers attributed this success to the synergy between high-quality seeds and reliable water access.  Farmers who previously faced difficulties practicing dry season farming because of water scarcity now no longer worry about irrigation or even domestic water use. This comes as a result of multiple interventions carried out by Gombe State Agro- Climatic Resilience in Semi- Arid Landscape (ACReSAL) to bring sustainable farming practices and facilities to farmers in Gombe State.

The economic ripple effects are already being felt as farmers no longer depend solely on rainy season harvests to meet family responsibilities such as marriages and other needs as testified the beneficiaries of these interventions.

Wider Community Impact

The benefits are being felt community wide. A traditional leader, Malam Jauro Samaila, revealed that about 55 farmer clusters in the area are benefiting from the initiative.

“ACReSAL provided improved seedlings for maize, rice, millet and guinea corn. The millet and guinea corn are for the rainy season, while maize and rice have strengthened our dry season farming,” he explained.

He emphasized that the solar-powered boreholes have addressed long-standing water scarcity challenges, significantly improving living standards across the communities.

Strengthening Climate Resilience

Providing an overview of the project’s scope, the Gombe State ACReSAL Project Coordinator, Dr. Sani Adamu Jauro, said the intervention was a collaborative effort with the State Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Cooperatives, designed for long-term sustainability.

“In partnership with the ministry, we have distributed more than 3,700 kilograms of drought-resistant seedlings, including millet, guinea corn and maize, to farmer clusters across the 11 local government areas of the state,” Dr. Jauro stated.

He confirmed that 2,071 farmers across 55 clusters have directly benefited from the seed distribution. “These varieties are designed to withstand late onset or early cessation of rainfall, enabling farmers to record better harvests even under irregular weather patterns,” he explained, highlighting the project’s core mission to build resilience against climate change.

Dr. Jauro noted that climate change poses a major threat to agriculture and food security, stressing the need for such interventions. Beyond seeds, the project has promoted mechanization by procuring multipurpose tractors, distributed to local governments for farmers to access at subsidized rates.

“What would have taken nearly three weeks of manual labor can now be completed within a short period. With the realities of climate change, timely land preparation is critical to productivity,” he concluded.

Discover more:

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