By Faiza Abubakar Ardo
For the past two decades, hunger has been a forgotten word in Garu, a farming community under Karaye Local Government Area of Kano State. The people attribute their food security to hard work, fertile land, and year-round farming sustained by nature’s blessings.
Malam Muhammadu Inusa, a 68-year-old farmer, says Garu’s secret lies in its well-planned farming calendar that takes advantage of all three growing seasons — the rainy, dry, and frosty periods.
Read Also: EXCLUSIVE: Karfi Corn Market: Where women, youths turn maize into gold
Read Also: Kano Sugarcane farmers lose billions as mysterious disease wreaks havoc on produce
“We have been farming here for hundreds of years, and in the last 20 years, no household has gone hungry,” he said proudly to Agro Climate News reporter, who visited the village.
During the rainy season, farmers cultivate staple and cash crops such as rice, maize, sweet potatoes, citrus fruits like lime and lemon, and vegetables including spinach, tomatoes, lettuce, and beans. As the rains fade, they transition to dry-season farming, growing okra, bell peppers, chili peppers, mangoes, and watermelons.
In the frosty months, Garu’s fields turn green again with Irish potatoes, wheat, cabbage, garlic, carrots, and onions — crops that tolerate cold and thrive in sandy loam soil. “Our land is blessed with sandy loam and river sand, which makes it perfect for all types of farming,” Inusa explained.
Agro Climate News gathered that the community’s proximity to the Challawa Gorge Dam ensures steady access to water for irrigation, enabling farmers to maintain productivity across all seasons.
Beyond self-sufficiency, Garu has become a food hub for buyers from nearby cities. “Every weekend and month’s end, people drive from Kano city to buy our produce because it’s cheaper and fresher,” said Malama Zulai Danladi, a vegetable farmer.
According to her, not only they defy hunger, but people in the village earns a means of living through the all year-round farming, making it easier to live easily.
Foodstuffs in Garu sell for nearly 50 percent less than in urban markets, making the village not just a farming success story but a vital contributor to Kano’s food economy — a true model of rural resilience and sustainable agriculture.
