Rural Agricultural Transformation and Policy Development: A Study of the Nigerian Situation

Rural Agricultural Transformation and Policy Development: A Study of the Nigerian Situation

Abstract

There are two major gaps currently facing agriculture in Nigeria; they include an inability to meet domestic food requirements, and an inability to export at quality levels required for market success. The former problem is a productivity challenge driven by an input system and farming model that is largely inefficient and subsistence in nature. We are also faced with an aging population of farmers who often do not have enough quality seeds, fertilizers, irrigation, crop protection and related support to be successful. The latter challenge is driven by an equally inefficient system for setting and enforcing food quality standards, as well as poor knowledge of target markets. Indeed, quite worrisome is the fact that most rural farmers are small holder farmers who often produce far below their production capabilities. The resultant effect is that the vast majority of Nigerians are highly food insecure. There is the need to rebuild the agricultural sector and transform Nigeria from a mono economy with total focus on crude oil to one that can be sustained through economic diversification. This paper which is an exploratory study focuses on the need for proper agricultural transformation that will help in putting Nigeria’s agriculture sector on a path to sustainable growth and development with the ability to enhance food security for the people and be able to serve the Nigerian market and the export market thereby becoming a major foreign exchange earner.

Key Words: Agricultural policy, Agricultural transformation, Food security, Rural agriculture, Rural farmers, Rural Development