The Bauchi State Government has called on youths in Gamawa Local Government Area to adopt dry-season irrigation farming as a way to mitigate the effects of last year’s devastating floods.
The Chairman of Gamawa LGA, Ahmad Gololo, made this appeal during a media tour on Sunday.
Gololo expressed concern over the destruction of farmlands and the threat of food insecurity caused by the floods.
He stated that the council had supported youths with grain seedlings and provided security to safeguard farms from herders during the dry season.
The chairman disclosed that the intervention had yielded positive results, with irrigation farming significantly boosting local revenue.
“If I tell you that the council has gained ₦5 billion in revenue, I am not mistaken,” he said.
Gololo emphasised that the community, in collaboration with the council, had prioritised irrigation farming as a sustainable solution to the challenges posed by seasonal flooding.
The state government had rolled out initiatives to promote irrigation farming, aiming to boost dry-season food production, stabilise local economies, and reduce dependence on rain-fed agriculture.
The adoption of irrigation farming is aimed at mitigating the impact of climate change on food security and create new jobs for young people in flood-prone areas.
In 2023, floods ravaged several local government areas, including Gamawa, leaving thousands of farmers counting their losses.
