The State of Agriculture in Nigeria

 

Although it depends heavily on the oil industry for its income, Nigeria is an agricultural society with 70% of its population engaging in agriculture at a subsistence level which provides 41% of Nigeria's total gross domestic product.

Agriculture in Nigeria is broadly divided into four sectors: crop production, fishing, livestock, and forestry- with crop production being the largest segment accounting for 87.66% of the sector's total output. It is closely followed by livestock, fishing, and forestry. Apart from being the largest sector in Nigeria, it is also the sector with the highest employer of labor in the country.

Despite being the largest economy and Labour force in the country, it is a sector that is greatly neglected and continues to face numerous challenges such as:

 1. Resource Shortages: Over the years, Nigeria has dealt with very low yield per land due to shortages in the supply of seeds and fertilizers as well as inadequate irrigation and harvesting systems which hinders productivity.

2. Violent Conflict: Due to the insecurity of the nation- for instance in northern Nigeria - there is an issue of desertification and water depletion in the Northern part of Nigeria, nomadic herdsmen are now shifting towards the south of the country in search of grazing fields and water for their animals which has resulted in violent conflicts with crops farmers in the South.

3. Outdated system of Agriculture: Despite the modernization in different sectors, Agriculture is lagging with the use of outdated methods and tools. Till today tools like hoes and cutlasses are still in use, these tools reduce efficiency as they are time-consuming and stressful.

4. Lack of access to finance: Although there are different schemes provided by the government to help provide small-scale farmers with adequate financing, the farming industry still lacks adequate access to finance.

With these challenges that Agriculture faces, it's easy to lose hope and give up on Agriculture in Nigeria as a whole but the Nigerian government is working on policies and programs to help Agriculture.

One of which is setting policies aimed at improving access to international markets by enhancing access to market information through a National Agricultural Information System, and creating specialized export market support teams to enhance export capacity.

Another is the creation of NATIP- a program jointly launched by the African Export-Import Bank, Nigerian Export-Import Bank, and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council. It aims to facilitate the expansion of Nigeria's trade and investment in Africa.

In conclusion, this report barely scratches the surface of the state of Agriculture in Nigeria, as more can be done to improve the Agricultural Sector and diversify the country's income which is struggling.

Your Full name : Amabie Tolumoye Deborah

State code : OS/22B/0559

Course of study: History and International Studies 

Institution : Niger Delta University 

State of origin : Bayelsa State