By: Ibrahima Yakubu
In Kaduna State, northwestern Nigeria, people with special needs are increasingly becoming successful farmers. Many have embraced modern agriculture as a means to improve their livelihoods.
This effort is part of a specially designed farming initiative aimed at helping them become self-reliant, rather than depending on charity or handouts.
On a dedicated farmland located in Kaduna town, a group of farmers living with various disabilities including blindness, physical impairments, and hearing difficulties have adopted modern farming techniques to support themselves, especially during the current rainy season.
Their goal is to rely on the food they grow to feed their families.
Mr. William Makia, a visually impaired farmer who uses simple farm tools, said he has been farming in the area for a long time with the sole purpose of providing for his family. He stated:
“I am blind. The reason I farm is to feed my family. I don’t beg, and I have never begged in my life. I do not like begging.”
He added that he enjoys farming and even shares his harvest with able-bodied neighbors, which helps strengthen community bonds and cooperation.
“I use a hoe for farming. I use a cutlass and other hand tools for weeding and general farm work,” he said.
His farm is neatly organized, with rows of beans, sweet potatoes, groundnuts, and vegetables like tomatoes and okra, located at the Rehabilitation Board School premises. He emphasized that embracing smart farming practices is essential to reduce the high cost of food affecting everyone in society.
Mr. Joshua Matthew, a young man with a leg disability, is also part of the group. Despite limited mobility, he drags himself across his farm to tend to his crops.
“What people should understand is that I farm intensively to feed my family. I grow maize, rice, and other food crops to reduce the high cost of living,” said Joshua.
He stressed that despite his condition, farming is not as difficult as many people believe. He also urged the government to support them so they can continue to be self-reliant.
Due to the high cost of fertilizer, many farmers in the area have resorted to using organic manure as a more affordable alternative.
Even with low rainfall this year, these farmers remain committed. They continue to work diligently, applying modern farming techniques to ensure the production of sufficient and quality food.
“We all agree that we are physically challenged, but the fact is we can produce food crops to feed our families. Yes, we need fertilizer support to boost our morale and improve our farming,” one farmer said.
This inclusive farming initiative, known as Inclusive Smart Farming, aims to integrate people with disabilities into agriculture as a strategy to combat hunger and poverty in Nigeria. The program is already showing promising results.
Comrade Rilwani Abdullahi, President of the Association of People with Special Needs in Nigeria, emphasized the importance of inclusive smart farming systems in boosting agricultural production among persons with disabilities.
“This is an effort to become self-reliant. Therefore, we call on the authorities to support these farmers and ensure they are included whenever agricultural inputs like fertilizers are distributed,” he said.
He added that across Nigeria, many people with disabilities are actively engaged in serious farming—producing both food and cash crops and should be supported with fertilizers and appropriate farming tools.
Currently, these resilient farmers are fully dedicated to agriculture as a means of sustaining themselves, refusing to resort to begging.
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People with Special Needs in Nigeria Becoming Successful Farmers”
However, they often express frustration at being excluded from government distribution programs for fertilizer and other agricultural inputs.
A science and environment journalist from African Climate Reporters who visited these farms noted that, despite their visual impairments, the blind farmers maintain exceptionally clean and organized fields due to the time and effort they dedicate to weeding and maintaining their farms.
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