Bauchi women embrace backyard farming to fight poverty

A large number of women in the Bauchi metropolis are growing backyard farms to provide sources of production and means of livelihood to improve their social and economic wellbeing.

Some of the women on Wednesday said that they practiced backyard gardening during the rainy season to cultivate produce for domestic and commercial purposes.

Some of the produce cultivated by the urban farmers include moringa, tomatoes, pepper, okra, bitter leaves among others.

Mrs. Aisha Idris, a housewife, said that she was gardening within her compound to enable her to get fresh produce and save costs on her shopping menu.

Idris said she used the produce for her cooking and supply the excess to the market.

“I cultivated vegetables and planted moringa trees in my backyard. I and some of my family members work in the garden.

“A bunch of moringa leaves costs N150.00 and vegetables sold at N50 per measure.

“Some people buy the produce from the garden without going to the farm.

“The saving I made from the sales encouraged me to do more in view of the high patronage,” she said.

Fatima Mohammed and Aisha Ibrahim, who cultivated vegetables, described backyard farming as lucrative, adding that it served as income-generating activities to most women in the metropolis.

“I started my garden with a capital of N2,000, the plants are good and anticipating bumper harvest.

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“I’ m happy, it brings joy and comfort to me,” Mohammed said.

Also, Mrs. Aisha Ibrahim said that backyard farming was cheaper and enable families to improve their nutrition and vitamin intake.

“Apart from health benefits, backyard gardening is cheaper because you don’t have to spend on transportation or trek long distances to get vegetables from the market.

“I planted Okra, tomatoes, and pepper for sale in the neighborhood,” she said.

A vegetable vendor, Mrs. Falilat Isiaku, said that customers now have a high preference for products sourced from backyard gardens rather than those from the farms.

Isiaku said backyard farming has led to a significant increase in the supply of the product to the market.

Also commenting, Mrs. Naomi Gokwat, Coordinator, Bauchi State, Women for Women International Organisation, an NGO, said that women were trained and encouraged to practice commercial farming.

She said the organization was working with women cooperative societies in Tafawa Balewa and Bauchi Local Government Areas, to expose them to modern farming skills to encourage productivity.