Women In Agriculture: Why I left engineering for farming

Bukola Fadairo, graduated in Mechanical Engineering Federal University of Technology, Minnais a crop farmer in Oyo State, southwest Nigeria.

He is the CEO of Emmanuel farm where he produces cucumber, okra, watermelon, tomato, cassava, corn, palm kernel and golden melon.

He spoke to PREMIUM TIMES about his journey in agriculture and the challenges he faced.

PT: Can you apply your journey in agriculture? How long have you been cultivating? Why did you go into farming despite studying Mechanical Engineering? There are many cars and other mechanical systems in the country.

Ms. Fadairo: I started at the end of 2018 after finishing my service year. When I finished the service, I saved some money from the service. I went home, met my brother and we discussed how I can spend my saved money wisely.

I actually applied for a job but most of it is in Lagos and I am not ready for Lagos stress. He suggested that I should invest in the garri business that I was doing. It is productive. I did buy and sell successfully but after three cycles, I got tired and had to stop. He then advised me to go into farming.

He introduced me and my first plants were cucumbers and okra which is my favorite because I grow okra every year. But in November 2019, we decided to test the irrigation system because there is this stream at the back of the garden, and we introduced the system and it works. We then planted okra due to the right harvest in 2020, but the cows came in and got nothing, not even one okra. I planted cucumbers again and still, the cows came and nothing was harvested. It was quite annoying but I didn’t stop.

So I just kept planting cucumbers, bendi and watermelons and the results were as good as the fertile soil. My aunt who gave me the land was used for poultry farming. It is one hectare of land. After one more year, I collected money and bought 3 hectares of land to plant cassava. I also rented about 15 hectares of land and planted maize and cassava together. So now, I am not looking for any job offer unless they are ready to pay more than N300,000 as a starter.

PT: Collecting capital is difficult, it used to be, how much capital is it?

Ms. Fadairo: I paid N4,500 for 2 paddy fields, 1,800 cans of cucumbers, 400 bottles of okra seeds, and 5,000 for those who cultivate the land. Now for the plough, we spend between 12,000 and 15,000. Canned cucumbers are now 3000. Tillage is now from N15,000 to 35,000. To cultivate my cassava garden per hectare cost not less than 35,000. I have to travel to bring people to do in 20,000.

PT: Being educated, you should have heard about climate change and the issues surrounding it. How does this affect food production?

Ms. Fadairo: It really affected me. In 2020, there was not much rain that affected my crops. I planted okra, cassava and nothing survived. I have people like my father who look out for me. He planted about 23 acres of corn and it all died.

Also in 2022, drought will start suddenly and corn owners will have problems but for cassava, you may be lucky unless you open irrigation system in corn and cassava plantation. This irrigation system is also different because of the effect of oxygen on the plants. An irrigation system with a stream or river as a water source will produce more results than with a borehole source which is still better than without a system.

PT: Pesticides and fertilizers are two main inputs for farmers that if used carelessly can be harmful to plants and humans who consume them. How do you think these surrounding issues have affected farming in general?

Ms. Fadairo: Using herbicides on weeds in some agricultural land affects the soil because some plants need weeds to conserve soil nutrients but when controlled using herbicides, it affects the nutrients in the soil. Before herbicides, you could use the soil for 10 years to produce results but now, it does not last until that.

When you use agricultural land for 5 to 6 years, you will stop producing the desired yield. You introduce enhancers like fertilizers and Co, the result increases a little and that for some time.

So what I did was crop rotation and it worked. If you do, you don’t have the same pests in your farmland. I planted okra this year, there are pests that are specific to okra and weeds too. Next year, I will plant golden melons or watermelons.

When the pests came, they didn’t get okra and they weren’t used to watermelon or golden melons, so what they did was go away. When the watermelon pest comes, I’m done and I switch back to cucumbers and the cycle continues.

PT: You have land for farming. Some are given, some are rented and some are bought. Buyers, is there a gender issue when you want to buy?

Ms. Fadairo: In fact, I was introduced to the rice field by the owner who was my guardian. He told me that if I have a certain amount, he can leave the land to me and I will balance the payments that I made and I will have to pay in 3 installments.

PT: Have you ever borrowed anything?

Miss Fadairo: No I haven’t because I haven’t got someone who looks legit. I’ve never applied for a loan and I don’t know how it works or the process.

PT: As a female farmer, what is your experience of labor control considering you are a woman in the farming business?

Miss Fadairo: In the beginning, I talked to them and even gave them a partial payment. Some actually do the work, but some don’t and walk away with the money. A few years ago, I asked the man who hacked my okra garden to take him there and pay him. I called the number but he has changed his SIM card with his son; when I called it was a child’s voice I heard over the phone. That year, I almost lost my plantation.

When the harvesters came and did their work, I still went there and saw the okra that had not been harvested, it was not my fault because the harvest started at 5 in the morning when it was still dark and I did not see it because the soil was not there yet. cleaned properly. I waited about 3 months, used a different channel to call him and he picked up and I got him. Also, I paid someone to build a perimeter fence around my land that was always damaged by cows. He did a really bad job.

PT: Besides these challenges, what other challenges do you face?

Miss Fadairo: The biggest challenge I see is getting a workforce that works for you. Some workers work for three days but I pay more than 1 week. When I paid, they said it was the next day. I sent someone to come verify.

When I sent my brother, he reported that no one had been on the farm for three days. Dropped the phone and lied about why he wasn’t doing work and this was at night after the phone was turned back on. I really don’t have many options, I still call and engage them to work for me knowing they will delay the work. But it is cheaper to use it at 10000 than to face the same delay at 25000 or more.

PT: Being a married farmer, how do you support your husband in farming?

Miss Fadairo: My husband has supported my business. He met me when I was already farming. Most of my farmland that I can’t do now, he will go there and handle the work there.

PT: Out of all the crops that you produce, do you have an available market?

Miss Fadairo: Yes there is. When planting okra, aim for market days that come every five days. I harvest one day on the market day or in the morning of the market day because if the okra is harvested, after three days it can spoil and sometimes in the evening before the market day. The next day he was taken to the market.