West Africa: Record rains have killed hundreds of people
Barefoot in the water, Adamu Garba tries to evaluate what he can save from his harvest
There is not much left of its rice paddies, destroyed by the violent rains that have been raining for months in northern Nigeria. Thousands of farms, such as Mr. Garba’s, have been devastated this year by the monster floods that have hit West and Central Africa hard.
By wiping out crops, these floods are likely to exacerbate the food crisis affecting these extremely poor regions, which are already struggling with the fallout from the war in Ukraine, which has caused the price of fertilizers and food products to soar.
In northern Nigeria alone, flooding – the worst in a decade – has killed more than 300 people and displaced at least 100,000, according to authorities.
“It’s awful, but there’s nothing we can do, we just have to be strong,” sighs the Nigerian farmer from his plot on the outskirts of the town of Kano. Normally, his rice fields produce about 200 sacks of rice.
This season, “I’m not sure I can harvest half a bag”, he cowardly, saddened.
