A Farmer Narrates How Watermelon Saved Him

A farmer share a story on how watermelon help him survive hunger during his farm work in the month of june.

My name is Kundam Felixzo.

I first tatste a watermelon when I was in a primary school, a female teacher brought it and share with some of my closed friends in small pieces and then it gets to me.

It feels very nice but I couldn't hold to It because of it wasn't common and I have never seen my closed relationships eating same rather because of the popular belief that its an English fruit.

However, the fruit keeps coming closer to me through my friends and I begin to love it. First, It has a sweet taste, reddish inside especially the one which is riped enough and then plenty of water available as you begin to eat. The seeds can also be eating together as they seems to be plenty in each fruit. I loved it mostly when its kept in a refrigerator for a while and then eaten under a hot Sun ( ahhh ha ) what enjoyment I felt.

As time goes on I begin to buy some for myself and the whole of my family became lovers of this watery fruit and quess what? I didn't forget to keep some seedlings with me. I looked for a matured one and extract it seeds these were obviously different from the normal melon they cook as it is dark in colour and smaller. I kept It in a small container inside my wardrobe an didn't open same for a quiet long.

It was a dry season but waited long for the rain to come so I will plant it but, here comes April and I planted during the first rain of it kind. It's said to be a year of general melons and they were not left far as I intercroped the two on same piece of land. This was wisely done because I could differentiate the melon and the watermelon but I wasn't sure that the people who reside close to the farmland could quickly notice it since they both have similar leaves in fruits.

It's the month of June ( ijen ) already where there is virtually hunger as the name of the month implies in Tiv language. This I have already made my plans before then; I have planted my watermelons and intercroped it with melons which was dominant to control human predators ( haha ha)

Beside that hectare there is another one and I was June Already so I started making plans for planting pean nuts too which I have to clear the land.

The first day for site preparation was with some three good Samaritans, they helped me so much but unfortunately they couldn't even receive a glass of water from me (hhmm).

There was no food available as such we eat after coming home from the farm and to be frank this was a horrible situation. You're now left to work in corresponding to the energy left in you.

The next time I may have to bring out something, the farmlands were far from our house, the long walk from farm and the hunger oh these storms become unbearable. I have to be checking my watermelons to see weither they have riped and how its doing. I planted not up to five lines but luckly enough they all germinated into fresh and bigger fruits to have in our mist, five of us in the farm could now take a short break and consume it and continue with work. We don't even need to drink some water after eating it, funny as it a whole watery. I could eat one and of it bigger size alone and feel myself, my friends could eat well too. Now all of us can consume a sum of 7 fruits moreover the duration to stay in the farm exceeded automatically.

I'm happy I'm beginning to understand that watermelons is now cultivated in Konshsha, Ukum and other areas in Benue State. I'm happy to be a farmer and I think with solid preparation and proper reservations, we can have enough food in our stores to clear this June/July hunger and in general.