By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
A group of farmers living with various disabilities—including blindness, physical impairments, and hearing challenges—have adopted modern farming techniques to sustain themselves during the current rainy season, working on a dedicated farmland located in Kaduna town, Northwestern Nigeria.
These persons with special needs are emerging as successful farmers, having embraced agriculture not only as a means of survival but also as a path to dignity and self-reliance.
The initiative, described as Inclusive Smart Farming, is specifically designed to empower persons with disabilities to become productive and independent, moving away from dependence on charity, according to Mr. Williams Maka, a visually impaired farmer.
“Our goal is to rely on the food we grow to feed our families,” he said.
Mr. Maka, who has been farming for many years using simple tools, told journalists that his motivation has always been to provide for his household without resorting to begging.
“I am blind. The reason I farm is to feed my family. I don’t beg, and I have never begged in my life. I do not like begging,” he said with conviction.
Despite his condition, he continues to use a hoe, cutlass, and other hand tools to cultivate his land and even shares his harvest with able-bodied neighbors, fostering community solidarity.
Eyewitnesses report that his farm, located within the premises of the Kaduna Rehabilitation Board School, is well-organized and thriving with rows of beans, sweet potatoes, groundnuts, and vegetables such as tomatoes and okra.
Mr. Maka stressed that adopting smart farming practices is crucial to reducing the rising cost of food, which affects all Nigerians.
Another farmer, Mr. Joshua Matthew, who lives with a leg disability, also spoke of his determination to succeed in agriculture despite his physical challenges.
“I may not walk easily, but I drag myself across the farm to tend my crops. I grow maize, rice, and other food crops to feed my family and help tackle the high cost of living,” he said.
He emphasized that farming is not as hard as people often imagine and called on the government to support farmers with disabilities.
“Fertilizer is very expensive, so many of us now use organic manure as a cheaper alternative,” Joshua added.
Despite the low rainfall experienced this season, the group remains committed and continues applying modern techniques to ensure food security.
“We know we are physically challenged, but we are capable of producing food. What we need now is support with fertilizers and tools to keep us going,” one of the farmers said.
The Inclusive Smart Farming initiative aims to fully integrate people with disabilities into agriculture as a sustainable strategy to combat hunger and poverty. So far, it has recorded notable successes.
Comrade Rilwani Abdullahi, President of the Association of People with Special Needs in Nigeria, emphasized the importance of inclusive systems in boosting productivity among this often-overlooked group.
“This effort is about self-reliance. We call on the authorities to ensure that people with disabilities are included when agricultural inputs like fertilizers are distributed,” he said.
He added that many disabled farmers across Nigeria are actively engaged in growing both food and cash crops and deserve access to fertilizers and appropriate tools.
“These resilient farmers are fully dedicated to agriculture as a livelihood and have rejected begging. They should be supported,” he insisted.
However, many of the farmers expressed frustration over their continued exclusion from government distribution programs for agricultural inputs like fertilizers, despite their hard work and contribution to food production.
A science and environment journalist from African Climate Reporters who visited the farms noted that the blind farmers maintain clean and well-organized fields, owing to the remarkable time and dedication they invest in weeding and care.
