Climate change increases the frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events, leading to loss of lives, diminished livelihoods, reduced crop yields and damaged infrastructure.

Climate Change is one of the major challenges hindering development in Borno State which experiences extreme weather events, particularly droughts, flooding and heatwaves.

Agriculture contributes more than 65% of Borno State’s gross domestic product (GDP) and employs more than 70% of the population. But drought and desertification, flooding, pests, heatwaves and erosion all disproportionately affect the sector.

Usman Aliyu, director-general of the Borno State Agency for the Great Green Wall, recently participated in the 29th edition of the United Nations Climate Change Summit (COP29) which was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from Monday, November 11, to Friday, November 22.

“I led a delegation of eight members sent by the Borno State government to take part in COP29 summit, during which we were able to share the challenges affecting our people, particularly farmers and fishermen, as a result of climate change.”

Climate change has increased the frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events in Borno State, leading to loss of lives, diminished livelihoods, reduced crop and livestock production and damaged infrastructure.

Aliyu said the effects of climate change were accelerating globally and it was no different in Borno State.

“Unpredictable changes in rainfall patterns and extreme weather occurrences are becoming more frequent and destructive. As they worsen, the agricultural sector is being hard hit, particularly in less-developed economies.

“These changes make food security a growing concern as crop yields diminish. Food insecurity is a major challenge in Borno State.”

Last year, Borno was one of the Nigerian states that experienced a crippling drought, in stark contrast to the overwhelming rains experienced in 2022. And on September 10 this year, Maiduguri and its environs were hit by a devastating flood that left much of the area under water. At least a million people were affected, with more than 400,000 displaced.

Aliyu said this year’s flood caused great damage to all sectors.

“It affected critical infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, the destruction of hospitals affected the health sector, and schools were submerged, affecting the education sector. Learning institutions that were not submerged became temporary shelters for thousands of people displaced by the raging water.

“Very little was left unscathed – marketplaces and business centres were destroyed, affecting the economic sector, and large tracts of farmlands, crops and trees were wiped out or washed away. Some crops rotted in stagnant water.

“COP29 gave us the opportunity to solicit support from various international communities and humanitarian agencies for the thousands who lost virtually everything in the flood.”

Aliyu said historical trends of above-normal temperatures and mostly declining rainfall patterns in Borno State had led to water bodies drying up and agriculture lands ravaged.

Lake Chad, once the lifeblood of the region, has lost nearly 90% of its volume since the 1960s and desertification continues to shrink available agricultural land.

As Borno struggles to cope with desertification, a decline in agricultural production, and poverty, global warming has become a multiplier of threats and has worsened the conditions for growth and development.

High growth in population and increasing food demand has put significant pressure on land, leading to natural resource scarcity and depletion. Intensive and inappropriate land use has led to increased soil infertility. Overgrazing and extensive tree felling for timber and fuel have compounded the problem.

Ongoing insecurity and conflict have led to economic stagnation in Borno State. Transport and trade restrictions and inaccessible areas have impeded economic activity. The insurgency and road insecurity have affected the flow of people, goods and raw materials.

Movements and economic activity have been further restricted by counterinsurgency operations conducted by the military and security operatives.

“The Borno State government is trying its best to combat climate change through massive tree-planting campaigns and encouraging the use of electric and solar-powered vehicles to avoid excessive carbon dioxide emissions in accordance with Paris Agreement.

“I urge the good people of the state to understand that climate change is real. They need to stop putting more pressure on nature by cutting down trees for firewood and charcoal-making.

“Community leaders must do what they can to support the state government’s tree-planting initiatives by encouraging citizens to take care of planted trees as if they were their own,” Aliyu said. “What is required is for many more trees to be planted than the numbers felled.”

Unpredictable weather patterns – such as early or late onset of the rainy season, including high, low or no precipitation – have resulted in some farmers in the state having to plant and replant crops multiple times.

Having lost their crops to drought, heatwaves and flooding in the past, many farmers have been forced to change tactics to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Mohammed Musa Konduga, a farmer and agricultural expert, told RNI that most farmers have had to adapt.

“To mitigate the effects of climate change, most farmers now use drought-resistant seeds, which can withstand drought, high temperatures or heatwaves. Such seeds for groundnuts, beans, maize, millet and others are available at the Chad Research Institute in Maiduguri, Mohammet Lawan College of Agriculture [MOLCA] and the Borno State Agricultural Development Programme [BOSADP].

“It has become necessary for farmers to adapt to changing weather patterns. It is the only way to ensure more food production,” he said.

Modu Musa, a farmer from Maiduguri, said the improved seeds not only increased the yield, but also enhanced the efficacy of agricultural inputs, such as fertiliser, chemicals, pesticides and herbicides.

“Many farmers were unwilling, initially, to accept climate change. But there is no doubt about it, climate change crisis is real and it is affecting our livelihoods.

“Many crops have been destroyed because of poor germination triggered by drought and high temperatures. Some farmers have given up because they lost their crops and their money and could not continue.

“They used their resources to plant and replant crops several times even though they still did not grow.

“Since I have changed to using improved seed varieties, I have had much better yields – and fluctuations in temperatures and rainfall are no longer a concern. It does not matter how high the temperatures get or whether we have low or heavy downpours.”

“There are a lot of advantages to using improved seeds, such as better yields, pest resistance, drought and heatwave tolerance, and herbicide tolerance.”

Alvaro Lario, the president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), urged global leaders attending COP29 to set a specific financial goal to help small-scale farmers, who produce most of the food in developing countries, to adapt to climate change.

He said IFAD estimated that about US$75 million a year should be set aside to help farmers in developing countries to adapt.

“As climate change profoundly disrupts food systems, the only way to safeguard global food security is to prioritise helping small-scale farmers to adapt to the new reality,” said Lario. “The first step is for leaders at COP29 to set an ambitious goal for adaptation finance that allows food production to continue even as the planet warms.”

SHETTIMA LAWAN MONGUNO