Agriculture is a very important activity in Nigeria. This is because it is estimated that about 70% of the rural population are engaged in one form of agricultural activity or another. The ‘green revolution’ which has been hailed in some developing countries was chiefly on account of the adoption by farmers of technological innovations (in new varieties of high-yielding seeds, in fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation, etc). In Nigeria, in spite of extension efforts, the vast majority of farmers for reasons chiefly geographical, social, economic or political, cannot yet benefit from all scientific improvements.
High rates of population growth, low rates of absorption of the labour force into industry, and the rising rate of unemployment make it imperative that more employment and more purchasing power should be generated in the rural economy. Agricultural development is not an easy task. One of its chief tools - agricultural extension - has not been quite successful in Nigeria.
The problems of agricultural development in Nigeria may be summarized as follows:
1. Land tenure
Land tenure is the act or right of owning land. In Nigeria, land is usually acquired through inheritance within the extended family system in the country. This leads to fragmentation of land that it becomes too small for each individual member of the group to use as profitable farmland. This is largely because the holdings are too small and scattered to encourage mechanization and meaningful agriculture. Moreover, the social attachment to land in some areas does not make it easy for those who have interest in agriculture to acquire land for such an operation. This has greatly hindered large-scale farming in this country.
2. Lack of basic amenities
In many parts of the country, especially in the rural areas, the basic social amenities such as water, electricity, health care delivery, schools and good roads are grossly lacking. This has encouraged the youths and the able bodied men and women to migrate from the villages to the towns and cities for better opportunities. The establishment of these basic needs for the people will help make rural areas more habitable for the farmers and rural dwellers so that they can be encouraged to produce at their best.
3. Finance
In agriculture, capital is needed to enable the farmer purchase more land, to buy his inputs at the appropriate time and to pay for hired labour or farm machinery. Unfortunately, most farmers in Nigeria lack the required capital for investment in large-scale agriculture. Thus, they operate in units of farm families. They farm only to feed themselves and their families and produce little for sale.
4. Transportation
Bad roads and inadequate road network, particularly in food-producing areas have retarded quick disposal and marketing of agricultural produce, resulting in low income to the farmer. It has become increasingly necessary to have a good network of roads from the food-producing areas to the towns to make it possible for the farmer to dispose of his products in good time and at reasonable prices. Moreover, this will ease the transportation of farm products from the rural areas to the city markets and thus encourage farmers to produce more.
5. Storage and processing facilities
Most farmers in Nigeria sustain heavy financial losses due to the lack of adequate storage and processing facilities. This has resulted in wastage of food-stuffs and other agricultural produce and in farmers having to sell their farm produce cheaply during the early harvest season when there is a lot of food in the market. Eventually, the few remaining food items and other agricultural products are sold to consumers at high prices long after the harvesting period.
Lack of processing facilities has resulted in a situation where the products are either sold off cheaply or are exposed to pests and diseases.
6. Agricultural education and extension
A large number of farmers in Nigeria can neither read nor write. Consequently, they are unable to read about new methods, techniques and improved agricultural practices. At the same time, the agricultural extension workers, whose duty it is to disseminate agricultural information and demonstrate new techniques to farmers are few in number at present. In most rural communities, farmers are not adequately educated by the extension staff. This has definitely affected agricultural progress in Nigeria.
7. Tools and Machinery
Mechanized agricultural practices demands the use of modern tools and machinery. These include tractor-mounted ploughs, ridgers, cultivators, sprayers, harvesters etc. These equipment make for more efficiency in farming operations and reduce the burden in farming and thus make farming more attractive to youths. In Nigeria, today, the type of tools in use are far from being satisfactory. The improved and modern tools and machinery necessary for a meaningful farm work are not readily available and the prices of those available are so exorbitant that the local farmers cannot afford them.
8. Farm inputs
Insufficient supplies of farm inputs such as feeds, fertilizers, improved seeds, chemicals and farm implements still abound. Consequently, most of the food crops and farm animals are still the local varieties with very low yield potential. The supply of these inputs to farmers at the right time would be one right step towards meeting the food needs of the teeming population of this country.
9. Organized market
The distributive system does not properly ensure that goods produced reach the consumer. Markets are needed as ready outlets for the sale of farm produce. Often, the farmer does not obtain the full benefit of his farming business because of the activities of middlemen. The farmer suffers the risk associated with price fluctuation. The producing farmer and the consumer need market information concerning demand, supply and price.
10. Drudgery in farming
Drudgery in farm operation occur due to the continued use of crude farm tools. The widespread reliance on the use of simple tools such as the axe, hoe and matchet and the use of manual labour in farm work contribute greatly to lack of sustained interest in farming.
The large-scale use of animal power is not possible in Nigeria because of the presence of tsetse flies which are associated with the animal disease called trypanosomiasis.
Farmers should be gradually introduced to the use of small and large machines in farming, especially during bush clearing, harvesting, and processing operations. Appropriate mechanization will minimize drudgery in farming and increase agricultural productivity.
11. Unsteady agricultural policy
Agricultural policies have not been successful because of frequent change in political leadership leading to the abandonment of previous food production plans. Similarly, most agricultural programmes are not properly implemented by the officials concerned.
What is required is a modification of agricultural policy only when necessary bearing in mind the general interest of the people. In addition, monitoring and evaluation units must be set up to determine the level of success attained in agricultural development.
12. Pests and diseases
Pests and diseases constitute one of the greatest problems of farmers in Africa. Pests and diseases attack animals in their pens and in pasture during grazing resulting in many deaths. They attack crops both in the field and during storage causing great losses to farmers. Although there are chemicals and insecticides to be used against diseases and pests, these chemicals and insecticides are in short supply and the few that are available in the country are very costly and sell far beyond the reach of an ordinary farmer. The incidence of pests and diseases does not only increase the cost of production, it discourages farmers who have no money for disease and pest control. Apart from increasing cost of production, it leads to reduction in quantity and this invariably leads to hunger and reduction of the farmer's income.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO THE IDENTIFIED PROBLEMS
The land use decree which was introduced by the Nigerian government some years ago and which vests every land in the hands of the government (in trust for the people) should be more enforced. This will make it possible and easy for large areas of land to be allocated to prospective farmers.
Social amenities such as electricity, pipe-borne water, schools, markets, hospitals and recreation centres should be established in the rural areas to discourage rural-urban drift and encourage young people to take interest in farming in the rural areas.
Loans should be granted to productive farmers and subsidies placed on agricultural inputs, machines and equipment so as to enable farmers acquire these facilities and improve on their performance.
The government should divert its attention to secondary and feeder roads which connect food producing areas to the towns and cities in order to ease the transportation problems of farmers.
To reduce loss to the farmer as a result of damage done to farm products both in transit and in the store, adequate processing and storage facilities should be provided. Where these cannot easily go round the farmers in their respective areas, such facilities could be established at strategic centres where a reasonable number of farmers can find solace.
Agricultural education and anti-illiteracy campaigns should be stepped up in Nigeria. Information about the most recent discoveries in agriculture on the use and availability of improved planting materials, improved breeds of livestock, insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers should be disseminated to farmers.
Tractor hire service which has been introduced by several states and local governments should be publicized and made more attractive so that farmers will be more willing to make use of this opportunity to increase their farming operations.
Government should make available some farm inputs e.g. high yielding seedlings, fertilizer, herbicides, fungicides etc.
Farmers should be organised into co-operatives to improve their working capital and the marketing of farm products.
Government should introduce and the utilization of modern farm machines and implements like ploughs, tractors, planters etc.
Government should help in stabilizing prices of agricultural products through the help of government agencies like the marketing boards.
By encouraging researches through research institutes into the problems of the farmers like eradicating pests and diseases of plant crops and provision of improved planting materials and animals for use by farmers.
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