Note: This article was first published on LinkedInon February 4, 2020.

If we have been following the population dynamics trend in the world in recent times, then, we would see the need to rethink how we practice agriculture, to sustainably feed the regions that would harbour most of Nigeria’s future population.

It is that the world’s population distribution is shifting to have majority of the people reside in urban regions. According to a recent United Nation’s report on this 55% of the world’s population already resides in urban regions, and it is projected to increase to 68% by 2050.

This rapid shift is more prominent, about 90% occurring -and the future increases much expected -in the developing world –Asia and Africa. After all, three countries from these two continents, China, India and Nigeria are projected to form 37% of the world’s population by 2050.

Nigeria’s population for instance is expected to become the 3rd largest in the world in the same period, reaching 400 million.

The nation is also the world’s poverty capital, marked with great inequality. Wealth is so unequally distributed that the combined wealth of the nation’s five richest people can eradicate, conveniently, poverty at country level, reports the Oxfam International in 2017 exploring inequality drivers in the country.

With these three indicators it thus can be seen why Nigeria is/will be witnessing such phenomenon –it has a fast-growing population riddled with extreme inequality and poverty where more people increasingly migrate to urban regions in search of opportunities for better living.

This has so many implications for Nigeria. As migration rises, population in urban regions doubles. Also, with rising population is also a growing demand for food in urban regions. While it would be logical lands are earmarked for cultivation to meet future food demand of the urban population, the otherwise has been the case as they are rather put into housing and infrastructure.

Lagos, a most preferred city for migration and one that has seen its population increase by over 1000% in the last 50 years has already witnessed such contradiction, where places as Ago Iwoye, Okota, Ikotun, Igando which used to be hub of agricultural productions and other neighbouring areas had given way to urban development.

While we would think food supply from rural regions would suffice in this time as it always has, it is noteworthy to realise the farming households who form bulk of the rural populace and produce about 90% of food consumed in the nation are part of those migrating, hence the envisaging of a gradual food production decline in rural regions.

The World Bank’s Development Indicators in 2016 recorded Nigeria’s rural-urban population as 51.4% to 48.6%. The distribution has seen shifted in favour of urban where the population is expected to form 58.3% of Nigeria’s population and rural population, 41.7%, by close of 2020.

However, this situation is not one without hope neither is it uncommon. In fact, several nations (especially those of developed economies) have faced rapid migration/urbanization and/or with limited resources for food production rather have focused on maximizing and efficiently using their limited resources to sustainably produce food.

Netherlands is one country which despite its 41,543 km2 small landmass is one of the world’s highest food exporters. In 2017 it came 2nd to the United States (having 270 times its landmass) with agricultural produce for export worth about $92 billion. This was by investing in industrial greenhouse gases and innovative practices.

Other novel production means like hydroponics, aeroponics and advance vertical farming are also increasingly being adopted around the world. Nonetheless their practice faces one hindrance or the other.

Growing without soil and with raw nutrients is one which often brings concerns of food safety and is marked with controversy. The high cost of establishing these innovative farms is another, for an average Nigerian who most likely lives below $1.90 a day, as the World Bank reported that about 50% of Nigerians live in extreme poverty. The cost of greenhouse and its establishment is in the range of $2,800 to $5,500. 

The question then comes: If all these efficient, productive and innovative growing methods are marked by at least one form of challenge, is there any other system that remedies for that which they face while still being productive and efficient and can sustainably feed a growing Nigerian urban population.

Yes, there actually is. And it is called Sack Farming. It’s the latest trend but, however, not new nor is it enjoying adequate adoption. 

To put it simply, sack farming is the method of growing foods in sack. It entails filling sacks with soil suitable for plant growth and then putting it to crop production.

As it can be seen from what it entails, sack farming does not need any special understanding or technical know-how.

Sack farming also eradicates the problem of growing with raw nutrients as the soil medium is what is being used for production, and as each crop stand has its respective growing medium, the risk of diseases and pests and their transfer are limited and can be easily controlled.

The innovative method is so efficient that leveled or cemented ground, even crammed backyard and roof tops can be used for production.

All it takes is arranging sacks filled with the right soil, leaving spaces among the sacs to prevent overcrowding, as long as the environment is well aerated, allows for sunlight and has access to good water supply.

Another benefit is that it can be used to produce so many fast-growing crops with very short life cycles for instance, leafy vegetables, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, which all incur fewer expenses and command good prices in the market.

However, as it can be seen from the types of crops mentioned above, sack farming is more suitable for shallow rooted crops, leafy and fruit crops –not crops that require their root go deep in search of water and nutrients, for stability, nor for crops which form tubers underground –as a sack, clearly defined in boundary, limits root development (enlargement and elongation) to a certain extent.

Nevertheless, with the presence of the right soil, good seed and safe production enhancing inputs, adequate water supply, of course sacs, favourable environment, the appropriate crop for sack farming would do well and even on limited cost.

Using cucumber as an example: the total cost of its production on half-a-plot of land is about ₦40,000. Used cement sacks can be procured for free at housing sites or used rice sacs from mills or can all be purchased in food markets for about ₦50 per one. A half-a-plot of land can take 100 sacks and even be well-spaced. That is ₦5,000 in total for 100 sacs.

Remember you would need soil. If your land or garden already has soil and is the right type –sandy-loam, rich in nutrient and organic matter, well drained and aerated –then you are lucky.

But if not, or if there is not enough soil, you can always get dark sand used for planting from a sand merchant in close proximity. 10 tonnes of dark sand go for ₦15,000 in Lagos, depending on the location.

To be rest assured the soil has enough organic matter content, decomposed poultry droppings can be purchased from nearby poultry farm, for about ₦500. Five bags are enough; that is ₦2,500. They are to be mixed evenly with the soil.

It is also important that numerous small stones, preferably pebbles, about quarter the soil for growing are made available. In normal field conditions soils are well aerated and drained as earthworms and other fauna burrow into the soil and loosen the soil.

This is not the same for sack growing. Stones mixed with the soil can create space for water and air in the soil therefore aiding proper root growth and plant development.

Granite is best for this however, due to its expensive nature farmhands can be paid to collect stones to fill five sacks, probably for ₦5,000.

Murano f1 seeds, a highly prolific cucumber species (the pack contains about 200 seeds with a germination rate of 95%) can be bought at an accredited seed store for ₦1,600. ₦7,500 can also be reserved for organic fungicide, herbicide, pesticide, and diseases control.

A fully emerged and healthy cucumber stand can give about 25 fruits in its lifetime. A 100-sack production (with one crop stand each) as intended for this illustration would amount to 2,500 fruits. One cucumber fruit can weigh up to 0.7 kg. That is, a half-plot of 100 cucumber sacs would give 1,750 kg.

With this yield, it can be seen sack farming ensures efficient and productive growing of cucumber, and same can be realised for other crops in the same category; a good alternative to feed a rising urban population.

It also allows the producer realise reasonable profit and stay motivated to produce more. For instance, cucumbers are sold in 40 kg bags. Each bag, as at now in Lagos costs about ₦6,000. A 1,750 kg of cucumber yield is then approximately 44 bags, which would sell for ₦264,000.

That is a huge sum of ₦224,000 returns -about six times the original money (₦37,500) invested. However, it is essential to keep in mind that cost of materials presented in this article are not necessarily the same for every region, and that they are volatile from time to time, even the selling price of cucumbers. Same goes for other crops mentioned in this article, too.

Therefore, personal research and calculations are vital before investment is made in the production of any of such crops.

Another article would be written on the actual growing of cucumber in sacks, the steps to follow, the best agronomic practices to heed to yield good result.