Prolonged rainfall in October is providing a much-needed boost to farming activities in Ondo State, with farmers saying the rains are critical to recovering crops affected by an earlier dry spell and sustaining food production.
However, as weather patterns become increasingly unpredictable, stakeholders are calling for greater investment in climate-resilient agriculture, environmental protection and policies capable of safeguarding farmers against both prolonged dry spells and excessive rainfall.
Orange FM’s Oluseye Akinwalere reports that despite concerns that prolonged rainfall could pose risks to crops, significant agricultural activities are still taking place across the state.
Farmers say the concern is not simply whether the rains will continue, but whether their timing and intensity will provide the right conditions for crops to mature without causing flooding, erosion and other forms of crop losses associated with excessive rainfall.
In Ondo State, farmers said the present weather conditions remain favourable, particularly for crops that require sustained moisture at this stage of the planting season.
Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, Ondo State Chapter, Abayomi Monilari, said the current rainfall is coming at a critical period, particularly for farmers who had to replant after an earlier interruption in rainfall.
He said farmers were still planting crops suited to the prevailing conditions, adding that the rains were helping such crops to thrive.
Meanwhile, Public Affairs Analyst, Kayode Otitoju, said the wider issue goes beyond the immediate benefits of the rainfall, stressing the need to address the changing climate and its long-term implications for agriculture and livelihoods.
Otitoju cited tree planting and the establishment of windbreaks in northern states as examples of environmental measures that could help protect agricultural production and reduce the advance of desertification.
He stressed that climate change requires sustained attention because its effects occur over time and could ultimately affect food production, shelter and livelihoods.
The analyst called for long-term environmental policies backed by domestic action and international cooperation to manage the consequences of changing weather patterns.
Stakeholders say the challenge is to maximise the current rainfall opportunity to sustain food production while strengthening farming systems against the increasingly unpredictable effects of climate change.
