Let’s Go To Farm- Exploring Different Types Of Crops In Oyigbo, Nigeria.

Pumpkin leaves

Farming is one of the oldest occupations, which can be dated back to the beginning of man’s existence. Today I took a tour to the small town of Oyigbo in Nigeria, where most of the indigenes are farmers. Here’s what I found.

1. Cassava Farm.
   The cassava crop is planted by cutting the stem and buried in already prepared beds or ridges. Alternatively, it can be planted by just making a wide but shallow hole and then the stems are buried. It takes about two weeks for the cassava to sprout. It might interest you to know that cassava tubers, which takes about a year to mature for harvest is used in:
   a) Processing garri (one of the most popular food in Nigeria)
   b) Manufacture of garri flour ( which is used in making cakes, biscuit, etc.)
   c) Processing of fufu( popularly known as ‘six to six’ because of it’s ability to keep one satisfied from morning to evening without any other food)
   Cassava is rich mainly in carbohydrate. Here’s the crop.

Cassava plantation

1. Yam crop
   Yam, which is also rich in carbohydrate is planted by digging deep into the soil and the tuber administered to the soil partly close to the surface. Since the stem is small and flexible as ropes, sticks or bamboo are used as stakes to support the growing stems till it reaches harvest time. It takes yam about seven months to grow matured tubers and ready for harvest. Welcome to the yam plantation.

Yam plantation

1. Palm oil tree

Palm tree is almost the most popular tree here in Nigeria and Australia. In Nigeria, we value it a lot because of the usefulness of the tree, not only through it’s fruits but every part of it is utilizable. The fruits, when ripe is used in processing palm oil, palm kernel, palm kernel oil(PKO), margarine(from palm oil), carpet(from the chaff). The leaves are used in making brooms; the branches are used in making basket, among other crafts. It’s interesting to note that oil palm trees can also produce natural alcoholic wine ( popularly known as ‘ukot eyop’ in the south). Here’s the palm tree.

Palm tree

1. Plantains and Banana
   They are similar to visitors, but we know the difference here. Both are rich in iron and can be eaten ripe or unripe. They are planted by digging very deep into the soil and the young suckers are deposited, which takes about a year to bring out fruits. Plantain fruits are normally bigger in size than banana. Here are the plants. In the second farm you can also see pawpaw, full of fruits but unripe.

Plantain plant

Banana plant

1. Cocoyam crop
   Also rich in carbohydrate and iron, the cocoyam grows about 50 cm to 70 cm above the ground level. It’s planted on shallow pits and it’s tubers mature from 6 to 8 months, depending on the species. Here’s the cocoyam plantation.

Cocoyam crop

1. Water leaves
   As the name implies, water leaves are succulent leaves with about 70% water content, used in preparing soup for consumption of garri and fufu. Here are the plants.

Water leaves farm

1. Pumpkin leaves, scent leaves and bitter leaves.

These leaves are used in preparing different types of soup. Check out their appearances.

Pumpkin leaves

Bitter leaves

Scent leaves

Thanks for your time