Desert swallows livelihoods as climate shocks continue in northeast Nigeria

More communities on the fringes of the Sahara desert say they are losing their farmlands and homes.

Toshia, Yobe – In a remote corner of Nigeria’s northeastern state of Yobe, lie communities surrounded by vast sand dunes stretching as far as the eye can see. In recent years, the desert has been coming closer to these communities, a development that continues to affect the lives of people there.

Toshia town in Yunusari local government area, close to the border with Niger, is one such community. Rides to the town involve old, crowded four-wheel drive vehicles, with passengers squeezed into every available space – including the rooftop, bouncing around as the vehicle navigates the soft sand.

Bulama Mele was only a child when desert encroachment compelled his parents to start farming in Niger. Now a 40-year-old father of eight children, he says the desert is enclosing the town from every direction. He now endures the tough commute to run his farm in Niger, after losing the two farms he had in Toshia, to the deserts.

Besides creating a challenging commute, the desert has also significantly affected the living conditions.

Others have also incurred heavy losses as the environmental crisis continues to deplete dozens of farms and trigger food shortages in those areas. As many as 10 farms belonging to the village head Maigari Isa Bukar, his brothers, and his father were lost to the encroaching desert.