In the nursery rhyme, rain is urged to go away and come back another day because little Johnnie wants to play. For little Johnnie who craves some fun in the neighbourhood, rain is a nuisance that should be wished away. But for the farmer, rain is a blessing he or she can hardly have enough of. The farmer scans the sky every day for tell-tale signs of rainfall. When the signs are positive, they jubilate, and vice versa.

At the beginning of this rainy season, rainfall was few and far between, falling lightly and for a short time only. Though farmers are already tilling their farms, they have been crestfallen about the paucity of the rainfall so far this year. And it is understandably so: even when the rains are good and harvest is excellent, the majority of farmers still subsist on revenue generated by their produce. Then it could be imagined how they would fare when the harvest is poor due to poor rainfall. It is simply unthinkable!

So we are pleased to note as favourable the steady rainfall of the past three days, especially at night, which is the best time for it because it softens up the ground for the farmers to carry on with their work all day on the farm. If it continues like this for a couple of weeks, then farmers can look forward to having a bumper harvest. And that is what we all want.

Farming is indispensable to our existence because it produces food for our daily sustenance. Without food, we are vulnerable to hunger and disease which are inimical to growth and development. Food keeps us healthy and strong to contribute meaningfully to national development.

The farmers would therefore be wise to capitalise on this opportunity to work efficiently on their farms. They should till their farms while the rain pours!

It is now time too for the nation to re-consider its attitude towards farming. If farming is so central to our existence, then we should stop looking down our nose at it. It should not be denigrated as an activity meant for rural rustics without any education. It would be better if each and every one of us should have at least a farm and a garden. The benefits of farming are too numerous to enumerate here. But it is enough to say that an investment in agriculture is a winner any day.

Corporate organizations should also consider going into mechanized farming since they have the resources to pull it through.

“Where there’s life, there’s hope.”

Terence