The incidence of flooding has become a major threat, not only to dwellings in the cities and towns but, to farmlands across the country. There have been reported cases of farms being submerged in floods in the aftermath of heavy rain fall in Nigeria. And the rainfall is already gathering momentum especially in the southern belt of the country. The grim impact of unchecked flooding of farmlands will be tellingly felt in the scarcity of consumer foodstuffs and general threat to food security.
No doubt, the challenge requires proactive solutions and effective collaboration between farmers and government officials who are saddled with the responsibility of agricultural extension services. It is instructive that solution are within reach as an environmental expert, Mr. Gafar Odubote, called for proper soil evaluation to prevent incessant flooding on farmlands. He blamed improper drainage systems and lack of soil testing for frequent flooding of most farmlands in the country. According to him, most soil in farmlands are not well tested before cultivation. The washing off of crops from farmlands can be linked to the mode of irrigation and hence floods should not be blamed on climate change but on improper soil assessment before cultivation. We cannot agree less with Mr. Odubote when he urged farmers to ensure they do the soil testing and evaluation before cultivation as it will enable them know how much capacity the soil has to hold water so as to also know the kind of crop that can survive in such area. As a way of mitigating the incidence of flooding, we support the call on farmers to also cultivate resilient crop that will not wash away to reduce the risk of flooding. In the same vein, we align with Mr. Odubote’s positing on the need to create proper pathways for drainage on farmlands to prevent flooding reoccurrences and the need to prepare proper channel for drainage as more farmers are on lowlands and more susceptible to flooding. We believe Nigeria will be able to overcome perennial cases of farmland flooding if the suggestions are adhered to.
