UMD NFLC Hausa Lessons/139 Farmer's Troubles

Overview

1. Title: Farmer's Troubles
2. Description: This is an excerpt from a 2014 radio broadcast about agriculture in Nigeria. WinXP users should install Arial Unicode font.
3. Speakers: Alhaji Haruna Sadik, Interviewer
4. Program: Not available
5. Publisher: RFI Hausa
6. Publication Date: 2014-09-03
7. Source Text Type: Radio
8. URL: http://www.hausa.rfi.fr/20140903-emission-en-haoussa-03092014-07h00-tu
9. Language: Hausa
10. Level: 2+/3
11. Topic: Economics/Politics
12. Cultural Notes: Yes
13. Modality: Listening
14. Core Competency: Comprehension
15. Estimated Duration: 45 minutes
16. Preparatory Activity: Multiple Choice
17. Nigeria's focus on its oil industry has negatively affected the country's farming industry.
    1. [ X ] True; [ ] False
    2. Feedback: Correct. The statement is true. Because Nigeria's economy has relied so heavily on the oil industry since the 1970s, other economic sectors, agriculture included, have suffered in terms of government support ("Needed" 2015).

"Needed: Agricultural Revolution in Nigeria." January 3, 2015. The Nigerian Observer . Accessed January 9, 2015. http://www.nigerianobservernews.com/2015/01/03/needed-agricultural-revolution-in-nigeria/.

Transcript

Source Text	Translation
ALHAJI HARUNA SADIƘ: A haƙiƙanin gaskiya,	ALHAJI HARUNA SADIK: As a matter of fact,
noma a ƙasan nan,	farming in this country
yana cikin wani yanayi, na wahala,	is in a troubling state.
wanda abinda ya haifar da shi kuma shi ne zalunci da yake gudana a ƙasan baki ɗaya. Aa, shi rayuwa dama, za ka iya zama, ka haƙura da taro, sisi, idan me? Idan kowa, abubuwa na tafiya dai-dai. To, a yanzu, in ka duba fanni daban-dabam, za ka ga cewa, manomi ba ya samun abin da ya dace da shi. Ƙasashe da dama ana taimaka ma manoma ta fanni dabam-dabam. To, a nan ƙasan, yawanci magana da ake yi, shi ne sai ka ji ana cewa: taki, taki, taki, to, takin nan ma, in ka yi la’akari da yanda takin ke zuwa, in ya zo ma, a ce da sauƙi ne, to, za ka ga cewa bai zo kan lokacin da ya kamata a yi amfani da shi don, don a inganta noman ba.	This was caused by the oppression that runs throughout the entire country. No, in life you can live and be patient with having very little, but how can one survive on that? Well, currently, if you look at all the different aspects, you will see that farmers are not getting what they need. Many countries are helping farmers in various ways, but in this country they usually just talk, and you will hear them talk about fertilizer, fertilizer, fertilizer, well, and even the fertilizer. If you consider how it gets to them, if it even does come and assuming it is affordable, you will notice that it does not come at the time needed for it to be used to improve farming.
MATAMBAYI: Saboda haka, ka ga ba zaka.	INTERVIEWER: Because of this, you see, you can’t.
ALHAJI HARUNA SADIƘ: Eh! Zan yi amfani. Duk abunda kake buƙata bai zo maka a lokacin da kake buƙatan shi ba, ya zamanto, babu amfani a cikin al’amarin. Sannan kuma idan ka duba, ka ga can idan a, aa! a nawa ake cin bashi na noma? Za ka ga cewa, bai sha bambam da irin ruwa da ake ɗora ma wanda za shi ya yi kwangila na sayan takardu, ko na sayan wani abu wanda zai kai aa sha-yanzu-magani, a ba shi, a’a, kuɗinshi ya sa aljuhu ba. A’a, ka ga wanda zai ɗauki manomi ko zai dauki alƙalla, akalla ba a kasara ba da kafin ya samu, ya juya, a’a bashin da ya ɗauka—	ALHAJI HARUNA SADIK: Yes, can’t use it. Whatever you need that does not get to you when you need it has no benefit when it does eventually arrive. Also, if you look more closely at how much debt there is in farming, you will see that it is not different from the interest rates given to a contractor to purchase books or to buy consumer goods that are usually supplied very quickly; they give it to him and the money will go into his pocket. Ah, so the time it will take, it will take a farmer at least, at least, the time it will take the farmer to use the money and generate profit will be—
MATAMBAYI: Sai ya shekara.	INTERVIEWER: He will take a year?
ALHAJI HARUNA SADIƘ: —sai ya yi wata bakwai zuwa takwas, kusan shekara ke nan. Amma za ka ga cewa, idan aka ce za’a, za’a sa ma shi ruwa irin wancan, to, me ya samu a kan al’amarin? A’a an ce ya biya ashirin da wani abu bisa ɗari, wanda kuma kusan kullum ne kowane wata za’a ɗora ruwan a kuma shi ma ya koma ya zama wani abu dabam. Idan zaka sayi amfanin, aa kamar su tarakata ne, su magunguna ne, a,a kuɗinsu, su ma ya hau. A’a, sannan me? Sannan idan zaka ɗauki ma’aikata, akwai wani buƙata ma minimum wage wanda idan ka duba makaranci albashi wanda zaka biya ma’aikata. To, idan ka duba ka ga cewa duk wadannan sannan idan zaka yi amfani da wuta, ba wutan a ƙasa, idan zaka yi amfani da hanya, yawancin hanyoyin, inda zaka kai amfanin gonan, ba a ingantasu ba. A’a, sanin ka ne yanzu za ka bi hanyar Kaduna zuwa Abuja, zaka ga cewa, yawancin lokuta, hanya mai kyau kenan fa, a cikin ƙasan nan. Don idan ka gan wannan hanya, shi ne zaka ga shi ne hanya da ya fi kowane kyau. Amma zaka ga kullum motoci sun zubar da tumatur, sun yi hadari, mai tumatur ma da zai kudu, yaa, kila ya mutu, ko ya jirkita, jikinsa ya yi rauni, saboda babu kyau hanya. To, ina ga kauye inda zai ɗauko wannan abin daga ƙauye? Zaka ga cewa, kafin ya kai inda zai kai wanɗannan amfanin gona a ƙasar nan ma kadai, sun riga sun fara ruɓewa, saboda yanayin hanyoyi da ba’a inganta su ba.	ALHAJI HARUNA SADIK: —then it will take seven to eight months; that is almost a year. However, if they were to take as much interest as in the other case, then what does he gain in the whole deal? Asking him to pay 20 percent or more in interest and the interest accrues almost every day, it increases monthly, which is something else. If you want to buy supplies, such as tractors and pesticides, their prices have also increased. Then what? Then if you want to hire workers, there is a need for a minimum wage which is the minimum salary that you pay workers . . . well, if you consider these issues then you will see that if you want to use electricity, there is no electricity in the country. If you want to use the roads, most of the roads you can use to access farms are not in good shape. As you know, currently, if you are going from Kaduna to Abuja, you will see that at most times that is actually a good road for this country. If you see this road, you will see that it is the best road in the country. However, you will always see that vehicles lay waste to tomatoes, they have accidents, and even the owner of the tomatoes who may have died, perhaps he survived but he is injured, because the road is not good. Imagine the roads in villages, taking goods to another village. You will see that before he gets to his destination, where he is taking his farm products, his goods would have started to rot because of the unimproved road conditions.

Comprehension Check

Comprehension Check Activity 1: Multiple Choice Why does the first speaker, Alhaji Haruna Sadik, repeat the word taki  ? [ ] To emphasize its importance to the Nigerian farmers [ ] To criticize the farmers' complaints and unreasonable demands [ X ] To show that other countries are doing better than Nigeria [ ] To demonstrate its economic significance Feedback: Correct. Alhaji Haruna Sadik repeats the word taki 'fertilizer' to show that other countries are doing better than Nigeria. Whereas other countries help farmers, the Nigerian government only talks about taki , rather than taking the actions necessary to help farmers. Sadik does not repeat the word taki to emphasize its importance to the Nigerian farmers, to criticize the farmers' complaints and unreasonable demands, or to demonstrate its economic significance. Comprehension Check Activity 2: Multiple Choice What attitude does Sadik express with regards to the Nigerian government? [ ] Sadik is apathetic. [ X ] Sadik is critical. [ ] Sadik is ambivalent. [ ] Sadik is enraged. Feedback: Correct. Sadik expresses a critical attitude toward the Nigerian government. He evaluates government involvement with farming and agriculture unfavorably and supports his opinion with evidence. His attitude is not apathetic, ambivalent, or enraged. Comprehension Check Activity 3: Multiple Choice What does Sadik imply about the Nigerian government? [ X ] It has neglected the country's transportation infrastructure. [ ] It has made supplies like tractors and pesticides too expensive. [ ] It has delayed shipments of fertilizer to the country's farmers. [ ] It has emphasized manufactured consumer goods over agriculture. Feedback: Correct. In mentioning poor road conditions, Sadik implies that the Nigerian government has neglected the country's transportation infrastructure. He does not imply that the government has made supplies too expensive, has delayed shipments of fertilizer, or has emphasized manufactured consumer goods over agriculture. Comprehension Check Activity 4: Multiple Choice Sadik claims that delayed fertilizer delivery is a problem for farmers because by the time the fertilizer arrives, farmers are too deeply in debt to take advantage of it. [ ] True [ X ] False Feedback: Correct. The statement is false. Sadik claims that delayed fertilizer delivery is a problem for farmers because by the time the fertilizer arrives, the stage of the farming season during which fertilizer is needed has passed. Sadik mentions high interest rates and the problem of debt, but he does not say that by the time the fertilizer arrives, farmers are too deeply in debt to take advantage of it. Comprehension Check Activity 5: Constructed Response What does Sadik state are the consequences of Nigeria's poor transportation infrastructure? Model Response: Sadik states that, because the transportation infrastructure in Nigeria is so poor, farmers risk both personal injury in vehicle crashes on run-down roads and the possibility that their goods will have spoiled by the time they reach their destination. Comprehension Check Activity 6: Multiple Choice Sadik mentions the road between Kaduna and Abuja to suggest that road conditions in Nigeria are beginning to improve. [ ] True [ X ] False Feedback: Correct. The statement is false. Sadik mentions the road between Kaduna and Abuja to suggest that all the roads in Nigeria are in need of improvement and to emphasize that roads used to access farms are especially poor.

Glossary

zalunci oppression taki fertilizer cin bashi (lit: eat loan) debt ruwa (lit: water) interest ruɓewa to rot

Notes

The Notes provide cultural and linguistic information helpful for comprehending the text. Agricultural Transformation Agenda Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Agriculture initiated the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) in 2012 in order to improve the viability of agriculture as an economic sector and Nigeria's economy as a whole. The ATA's stated goals include exporting 20 million tons of food by 2015, creating 3.4 million jobs, reducing Nigeria's dependence on a struggling oil industry, and cutting spending on food imports (Natsa 2015). Natsa, Ruth Tene. January 2, 2015. "2015: Defining Year for Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA)." Leadership . Accessed February 22, 2015. http://leadership.ng/business/399129/2015-defining-year-agricultural-transformation-agenda-ata.

Dictionaries

Awde, Nicholas. 1996. Hausa–English, English–Hausa Dictionary . New York: Hippocrene Books. This bilingual dictionary includes terminology relevant to users with interests in computing, information technology, business, and telecommunications. It includes over eighteen thousand entries. Newman, Paul. 2007. A Hausa–English Dictionary , Yale Language Series. New Haven: Yale University Press. This Hausa to English dictionary includes appendices on grammar and calendar terminology. Newman, Roxana Ma. 1990. An English–Hausa Dictionary , Yale Language Series. New Haven: Yale University Press. This English to Hausa dictionary includes appendices on grammar, pronunciation, and currency systems. On-Line Bargery. n.d. A Hausa–English dictionary and English–Hausa vocabulary. Accessed October 14, 2014. http://maguzawa.dyndns.ws/. This online resource features approximately forty thousand Hausa to English entries.

Additional Information

For more information about agriculture in Nigeria, read "Feed Yourself," published in May 2013, by The Economist , and available at the following URL: http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21577113-if-only-nigeria-could-revamp-its-farms-feed-yourself For a Nigerian academic's view of the plight of farmers in Nigeria and possible solutions, read " Harkar noma na cikin mawuyacin hali – Farfesa Dadari " (Farming is in a dire situation – Professor Dadari), by Hussaini Isa from Jos, published on January 9, 2015, on the website of the Daily Trust , and available at the following URL: http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/aminiya/index.php/mayan-labarai/8567-harkar-noma-na-cikin-mawuyacin-hali-farfesa-dadari