Contributions of Small- and Large-Scale Farms and Foreign and Local Investments to Agricultural Growth The Nigerian Example
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Date
2014
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African Studies Centre (University of Leiden), Leiden/Brill Publishers, Leiden, the Netherland.
Abstract
Nigeria’s agricultural sector has made a substantial contribution to the country’s gdp since 1960. It currently employs about 65% of the population and provides employment for about 90% of the rural population. This chapter offers a synopsis of agricultural growth performance in Nigeria, taking cognizance of the driving factors vis-à-vis small- and largescale farms, and local and foreign participation in the sector. Analysis shows that, as the major engine of rural growth and livelihood improvement in Nigeria, small-scale agriculture is highly constrained due to a number of factors such as limited technical and financial support, indifference among the youth to farming, inadequate government policies and reliance on other livelihood sources. This leaves the country with few alternatives as large-scale farming is still in an emergent stage. Sustained small-scale, local participation, with aspects foreign investment as a necessary complement, could go a long way to promoting agricultural growth in Nigeria where there is a looming fear of food insecurity in the current oil-driven economy. The implications are relevant for other African countries with an agricultural sector structured in a similar way to Nigeria’s
Description
Agricultural Production
Keywords
Small- and Large-Scale Farms, Foreign and Local Investments, Agricultural Growth