GENEVA/Switzerland: The people of Rafin Bauna village in Northern Nigeria have shared the hardships they faced due to the insecurity in their area, which caused them to abandon their homes, livelihoods, and everything they possessed, resulting in devastating losses. Pregnant women and children were forced to wander from village to village for weeks without access to food or medication.
Fortunately, as peace gradually returned to Rafin Bauna village, Murtala and other displaced farmers were able to return and cultivate their lands, thereby restoring their main source of income. To support these farmers, the ICRC stepped in and provided a new drip irrigation technology to 300 selected individuals. These farmers underwent training and received tools, water pumps, and knapsack sprayers for a three-year pilot irrigation project.
The implementation of this agricultural technology aims to achieve various benefits, such as doubling farmers’ production, enhancing energy and water efficiency, and addressing the issue of water scarcity. Water scarcity has caused intense competition among farming communities for access to water points and conflicts between farmers and herders.
Today, Murtala’s family no longer struggles to find food. He can afford basic necessities, and his children can continue their education. Murtala expresses his gratitude for the ICRC’s support, stating that the drip irrigation has provided them with a new means of survival. It requires less effort and cost while resulting in abundant harvests.
Leger Luc Manga, an ICRC agronomist in Nigeria, elaborates on the benefits of this new technology. He emphasizes its ability to reduce labor, conserve water, control weeds and diseases, lower overall production costs, double production output, and promote climate-smart practices.
The ICRC’s central warehouse in Jos, Nigeria, serves as the main hub for their operations. With an impressive area of 3,995 square meters, it enables efficient transportation of humanitarian assistance, including food, seeds, and agricultural equipment, to affected populations in the north-central and north-eastern regions of Nigeria.
Mohammed Suleiman, the ICRC warehouse manager in Nigeria, explains the significant logistical efforts undertaken to ensure the prompt and proper delivery of agricultural equipment to the 300 farmers. Although the task was substantial, the ICRC efficiently executed it, ensuring that the equipment reached the farmers in good condition and within the shortest possible time.
