As food insecurity deepens across northeast Nigeria, farmers in conflict-affected areas are battling hunger, displacement, and limited access to land—all while striving to feed their families and communities.
According to a press statement signed by International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which was obtained on Monday, more than 3.7 million people in the region are currently facing food insecurity. Many of them are farmers who have lost access to their farmlands due to persistent violence and displacement.
Modu Umar, a community leader in Dikwa said, “Right now, we face severe food shortages.Some families are forced to walk long distances every day to collect firewood just to sell and buy food. Farming is the only solution to hunger.”
70-year-old farmer Churi Ibrahim from Gajibo, noted that insecurity has drastically limited movement in rural areas, with many farmers trekking for hours to access their fields under the threat of attack.
“Some people trek three hours to reach their farms. By the time you reach your farm, you’re already exhausted, and when you return home, it’s late. For a large family like mine, sometimes, we don’t even get one meal a day,” Gajibo said.
Despite the danger and fatigue, many continue farming out of sheer necessity. “Even when you’re afraid, you have to go,” said Bintu Konto, a mother of five. “If you don’t farm during the rainy season, you’ll have nothing to eat.”
As the lean season begins—a time when food stocks run low and prices rise—households are under growing pressure. “This is when households must start purchasing food, but many conflict-affected families can’t afford much,” said Diana Japaridze, Head of the ICRC Office in Maiduguri. “They’re forced to drastically limit their intake.”
The food crisis is also fuelling rising levels of malnutrition, particularly among children under five and pregnant or breastfeeding women. In response, the ICRC is supporting malnutrition stabilisation centres and conducting community education to help families care for vulnerable children.
To build resilience and support long-term recovery, the ICRC has launched an agricultural assistance programme targeting both rainy and dry seasons. This year alone, over 21,000 farming households have received seeds tailored to local conditions, along with planting tools designed to reduce labour and increase efficiency.
The support includes staple crops like rice and maize as well as vegetables such as tomato and okra—helping to improve dietary diversity and nutrition. Farmers are also receiving training in sustainable agricultural practices to help them maintain production beyond the lifespan of ICRC’s support.
At the national level, the ICRC has partnered with the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) to complete repairs on a vital water source. This facility now ensures uninterrupted water supply for NASC’s seed testing and greenhouse operations, a move aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s broader agricultural system.
Still, the lean season remains a painful period for many farmers who simply cannot grow enough to meet their families’ needs.
“For many of us, it’s not just about farming—it’s about survival,” said Churi Ibrahim. “When you can’t feed your children, every day becomes a struggle.”
