Organisation trains rice farmers, distributes flood-tolerant seeds to boost climate resilience

Rice farmers in Katcha Ward of Niger State have been trained on climate-smart agriculture and benefited from flood-tolerant rice seeds to help them reduce crop losses caused by recurrent flooding.

The intervention, provided by a nonprofit organisation, the Geohazards Risk Mapping Initiative (GRMI), saw 20 members of the local farmers’ association received 10 kilograms each of FARO 67, a submergence-tolerant rice variety developed to survive temporary flooding, alongside practical training on improved cultivation, crop management and seed preservation.

The group said the initiative combines scientific flood-risk mapping with climate-resilient agriculture to help vulnerable farming communities better prepare for recurring floods.

Speaking on the initiative, GRMI Founder, Taiwo Ogunwumi, said the organisation is committed to ensuring that scientific knowledge translates into practical solutions for communities most affected by climate-related disasters.

“Every year, floods destroy livelihoods, reports are written and recommendations are made, but farmers are often left to bear the losses alone. Our goal is to ensure that knowledge about flood risks is converted into practical action while there is still time to plant. The maps and satellite data only matter if they improve the lives of the people working on the farms,” he said.

According to him, his organisation selected Katcha because of its high vulnerability to flooding and its importance as a rice-producing community.

The rice variety distributed, FARO 67, contains the SUB1A gene, which enables the crop to survive complete submergence for up to two weeks before recovering once floodwaters recede.

The variety was released in Nigeria in 2017 through a conventional breeding programme led by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Africa Rice Centre, in collaboration with the National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI), Badeggi.

GRMI’s Head of Research and Innovation, Kayode Adeniyi, said the intervention was informed by an analysis of flood patterns in Katcha using radar imagery from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 satellites.

According to him, the organisation analysed flood data spanning 2020 to 2025 and found that about 65 per cent of the ward’s land is used for rice cultivation, while severe flooding would inundate most of the farming areas.

He explained that advances in cloud-based geospatial technology and artificial intelligence had significantly reduced the time required to process satellite imagery, making it possible to generate flood-risk information that can support timely interventions.

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“For us, technology should solve real problems. If satellite analysis helps put better seed into a farmer’s hands sooner or enables communities to prepare for floods before disaster strikes, then it is serving its purpose,” Adeniyi noted.

Also speaking, GRMI Field Project Manager, Hussaini Usman, said the organisation would continue to monitor the performance of the rice variety throughout the growing season.

He said: “Our responsibility does not end with distributing seeds. We will work with the farmers throughout the season to document how the crop performs under local conditions and determine how effectively it withstands flooding.”

Katcha, located on the floodplains of the River Niger, has experienced repeated flooding in recent years, with many farmers recording significant losses.

Among them are Idris Mohammed, who lost two hectares of rice during last year’s floods, and Nda Bala, whose expected harvest dropped from about 30 bags of paddy to just eight after floodwaters submerged his farm.

According to GRMI, the intervention aligns with Nigeria’s commitment to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction by promoting disaster preparedness and strengthening community resilience before disasters occur.

The organisation said it also plans to work with the National Cereals Research Institute and the local farmers’ cooperative to multiply seeds harvested this season, making the flood-tolerant variety more accessible to farmers across flood-prone communities in Niger State.