A majority of Nigeria’s population live in rural areas where poverty and deprivation are most severe. Since almost all rural households depend directly or indirectly on agriculture, and given the large contribution of this sector to the overall economy, it mightnseem obvious that agriculture should be a key component of growth and development.
However, although agriculture-led growth played an important role in slashing poverty and transforming the economies of many Asian and Latin American countries, the strategy has not yet worked well in what i termed ‘modern Nigeria’.
Most African countries have not yet met the requirements for a successful agricultural revolution, and factor productivity in African agriculture seriously lags behind the rest of the world. This has led to growing skepticism in the international development community about agriculture’s relevance to growth and poverty reduction.
This article however, suggests that the ‘Agro-pessimism’ not only is unwarranted but also undermines attempts to accelerate growth and poverty reduction.
While parts of Nigeria are indeed disadvantaged by unfavorable natural and geographic conditions, agriculture’s poor performance has often been due to under investment in physical, institutional, and human capital, as well as by attempts to bypass agriculture through isolated industrialization, often at the cost of agricultural stagnation and worsening poverty.
The aim of this article is to also,examine whether the conventional wisdom on agriculture’s role in the development process is applicable to the contemporary circumstances faced by our different Geo-political zones in Nigeria.
Here I referred to examine the six Geo-political zones and the empirical justification for why agricultural growth has powerful leverage effects on the rest of the economy, especially in the early stages of economic transformation when it accounts for large shares of national income, employment and exports. Through its linkages to the rest of the economy, agriculture can generate patterns of development that are employment-intensive and favorable for the poor.
While there is a clear understanding of the
conditions under which agriculture-led growth is most likely to succeed, many of these conditions either do not yet exist in Nigeria or need to improve further.
However, the huge challenges facing Nigeria’s agriculture cannot be used as a justification for its neglect. Indeed, little evidence or theories exists to suggest that Nigeria can bypass an agricultural revolution if our country is to substantially increase growth and reduce poverty.
Yet, while agriculture is generally an important component for Nigeria’s development, its ability to generate growth and reduce poverty varies across and within various Geo-political zones, as well as across different agricultural sub-sectors.
Accordingly, this write-up presents a typology of our different zones contributions to the potential for agriculture to contribute to their growth.
This typology is supplemented with in-depth case studies that examine the
agriculture, growth, and poverty dynamics in south-south, south-east, south-west, north-west, north-east and north-central.
These case studies all highlight that broad-based agricultural growth, particularly in conjunction with growth in the non agricultural sector, could contribute significantly to growth and poverty reduction.
Within agriculture, the food staples sub-sector can offer the most poverty reduction in the the six Geo-political zones, particularly in the poorest sub regions of the country.
Although important achievements have occurred in these zones, generating further agricultural growth to transform their economies will require meeting a number of conditions, such as increased investments in technology, infrastructure, markets and health, and improved governance.
Note;
- Agriculture accounts for more than half of GDP growth between 1960 and 1990.
- Agricultural linkages changes with different stages of development.
- Food availability can become a constraint of Economic growth.
- Nutrition is a key determinant of growth.
- Growth in agriculture benefits the poor in both Rural and Urban Areas.