DEVELOPING THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR TO BOOST RURAL ECONOMY IN NIGERIA.
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DEVELOPING THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR TO BOOST RURAL ECONOMY IN NIGERIA.
Chapter one
1.0 Introduction
In the early 1980s, attention began to turn towards the entire growth of the rural economy. Despite this, agriculture remained the primary source of interest in the rural sector.
However, regional governments emerged as the primary agents of rural development, trying to strengthen and diversify the economy’s foundation while simultaneously improving social welfare and services.
As the trend in the quality of life in developing countries became clearer in the 1990s, the rural sector became a major concern for the national government, prompting the adoption of more comprehensive policies such as agricultural development projects [ADP], River Development Authorities [RDA], and the green revolution.
In 1989, the directorate for food, road, and rural infrastructure was established, marking the beginning of an integrated approach to rural development.This provides a more fundamental approach to rural problem solutions, despite its flaws. This initiative has since been preceded by other equality viable and major programmes; most present schemes are continuations of older, inevitably failing, and frequently prematurely aborted programmes.
Currently, the necessity to improve the overall and quick development of the rural sector of the economy has become critical in order to promote the development of the national economy.
The slogan “rural development” has virtually become a household word, and the subject is so popular that it will be featured somewhere in Nigerian media every day of the year.
Following independence, the agricultural sector of the economy in Nigeria was neglected; since then, Nigeria has faced the challenges of economic disarray, a country living beyond its means, and a people bewildered by their inability to provide the basic necessities of life for themselves.
According to Adekunle [1990], efforts to develop rural communities were mostly focused on agriculture. This means that the rural man was evaluated not only in terms of his own needs, but also in terms of what he could provide to his country.
Although the government’s different agricultural programmes functioned pretty well, they did not attain the expected outcome in terms of rural sector development.
As a result of this more fundamental approach to solving rural problems, the directorate for food, road, rural, and infrastructural [DFRRI], the Better Life Programme [BLP], the People Bank of Nigeria [PBN], the Universal Primary Education Programme, the Nomadic Education Programme, the Mass Mobilisation Programme [MAMSER], and, most recently, the family support programme [FSP] and the petroleum trust fund [PTF] have been established.
1.1 Objective of the Study
The purpose of this study is to critically examine the performance of rural development, agricultural development programmes in Nigeria, to analyse their importance in the social and economic advancement of the Nigerian economy, to truly consider the problems and shortcomings of the agricultural sector, and to formulate policy options that can be implemented to solve and improve rural sector development.
The study also demonstrates that the Nigerian economy still exhibits the usual symptoms of subsistence agriculture, which is dominated by small-scale farmers who account for around 95% of total output in Nigeria.
However, Nigeria’s rural economy, which is supposed to be the foundation of national development, has received little attention since the colonial era. This disregard has resulted in a direct fall in national output and the typical Nigerian’s level of living.
As a result, the rural or agricultural sector, which has been neglected in favour of other sectors, must be developed through the introduction of modern sophisticated tools to improve the agricultural sector in order to ensure food security in the economy and provide raw materials for the industrial sector’s production.
1.2 Significance of the Study
In general, agricultural development around the world, particularly in third-world nations, is characterised by a low level of development in comparison to other centres, with the majority of rural people living in conventional houses, poor environmental conditions, and unplanned rural communities.
With more than half of Nigeria’s population living and working in rural areas, it goes without saying that any development initiatives that exclude rural development will be a mirage for sustainable agricultural growth.
To achieve agricultural development, policymakers must have a thorough understanding of the type, character, and dimension of agricultural problems, the performance of previous public policies aimed at rural development, and the unique characteristics of Nigeria’s rural situation.
1.3 Scope of the Study
The study will take into account all policies and institutions implemented within the scope of this research. It will concentrate on multi-sectoral projects to promote a more dynamic and integrated approach to rural development.
The performance of various agricultural development initiatives will be evaluated using selected socioeconomic variables to identify the extent of the programmes’ influence on rural development.
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