How farmers can thrive in 2026 dry season

With unpredictable rainfall patterns currently experienced in the country, increased conflicts in food-producing states, and high rates of food insecurity, experts believe it has become necessary to explore other alternatives to food production so that farmers can maximise dry season farming potential.

With over 70 million hectares of arable land, more than 200 small, medium, and large-sized dams offering a storage capacity of over 30 billion cubic metres, and over 70 percent of the population youthful and under the age of 30, analysts say depending on rain-fed food production alone cannot meet the country’s food demand.

Frederick Ukula, an agro-production and processing manager at Ecobasic Seed Nigeria Ltd, highlighted the dangers of relying on rain-fed agriculture alone. “Nigeria’s heavy reliance on rain-fed agriculture poses a significant business and investment risk across the entire food value chain, leaving national food security highly vulnerable,” he noted.

“These vulnerabilities disproportionately affect farmers, particularly smallholder farmers who form the backbone of Nigeria’s agricultural sector,” he added.

Growing instability across northern Nigeria, including a surge in attacks, is driving hunger to levels never seen before, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned.

About 35 million people are projected to face severe food insecurity during the 2026 lean season, the highest number ever recorded in Nigeria, according to a report by Cadre Harmonisé, a regional food security analysis platform.

With Nigeria’s rapidly growing population, dry-season farmers must be equipped with the right knowledge to thrive in the 2026 farming cycle.

Challenges

Despite the opportunities in dry-season farming, the practice is not without challenges, including high labour costs, inadequate extension services for timely information dissemination, poor irrigation infrastructure, high input costs, prolonged dry seasons, and insecurity.

Adamu Nasafe, a Katsina-based dry-season farmer, highlighted some of these challenges. “Climate change continues to pose serious challenges in Nigeria. This ranges from prolonged dry seasons, unpredictable weather patterns, and declining soil fertility,” he noted.

A rice farmer in Taraba State also told newsmen that the high cost of fueling irrigation machines and limited access to water for irrigation remain major constraints.

What farmers must do

The collective efforts of farmers, as well as private and public stakeholders, are key to maximising the potential of dry-season farming.

Ukula, earlier quoted, highlighted the need for public stakeholders to expand irrigation infrastructure in order to bridge production gaps caused by delayed rainfall onset. “Stakeholders should work towards expanding irrigation infrastructure for farmers,” he noted.

“Farmers, on the other hand, must align with climate data and projections from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and use improved drought-resistant seed varieties,” he added.

Daniel Akor, a climate and geospatial analyst, also emphasized the need for farmers to adopt climate-smart and water-efficient farm practices to survive the 2026 dry-season farming cycle. “Engaging in climate-smart and water-efficient farm practices is key to surviving dry-season farming in 2026,” he stated.

According to an EOS Data Analytics report, key climate-smart practices include planting cover crops, rainwater harvesting, reduced land cultivation, and the use of precision and drip irrigation. Analysts also recommend regular soil moisture testing, the use of organic manure, and early-maturing seed varieties.

Government efforts

Both the federal and state governments are making efforts to promote dry-season farming across the country.

In November 2025, the federal government launched a dry-season farming initiative under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-Pocket Project (NAGS & AP) to empower smallholder farmers by diversifying crop production.

The initiative earmarked 40,000 hectares for wheat cultivation during the 2025/2026 dry season and registered 80,000 farmers, with an expected output value of about N160 billion.

Some states, including Jigawa and Niger, have also supported dry-season farming through the distribution of inputs such as fertilizers and improved seed varieties. However, many farmers complain that these inputs are unevenly or selectively distributed, leaving several farmers, particularly women, excluded.