Econometric Study on the Determinants of Agricultural Sustainability in Nigeria
Econometric Study on the Determinants of Agricultural Sustainability in Nigeria.
ABSTRACT
Nigeria is a vast agricultural country, endowed with substantial natural resources which include: 68 million hectares of arable land, fresh water resources covering about 12.6 million hectares, 960 km of coastline and an ecological diversity which enables the country to produce a wide variety of crops and livestock, forestry and fisheries products.
Available statistics show that agriculture is the most important Nigerian economic sector in terms of its contribution to the GDP, after oil. The sector contributes about 41% of the country’s GDP, employs about 65% of the total population and provides employment to about 80% of the rural population.
Despite the articulation of government policies, strategies and programs and the commitment of Government and donors to the broader framework of sustainable agriculture and pro-poor rural development, the rural economies of Nigeria remain underdeveloped and many complex issues regarding the design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation remain unresolved.
The main concern of this study therefore is that while agriculture remains dominant in the Nigerian economy, it is unsustainable; the food supply does not provide adequate nutrients at affordable prices for the average citizen.
The findings and the conclusion of the study suggested the need for the policy makers to promote agriculture to a sustainable level.
INTRODUCTION
Sustainable agriculture ensures adequate food security for the ever increasing population. Food production and adequate access to food are issues of top priority at major conferences and seminars in academic and professional gatherings all over the world.
The goal of achieving and maintaining sustainable farming systems is rapidly becoming a top priority of agricultural and environmental protection policies in most developing countries.
Also, the growth of ‘the community’ as a major focus of development, through which improved collective agricultural action can take place, has spread rapidly through development ideology since 1970s.
In these developing countries, decision planners and field workers are faced with bewildering dilemmas; how to increase yields without degrading soil and water resources, how to meet production targets in the light of escalating farm input costs and foreign exchange shortages.
How to raise productivity of the small farm sector, how to narrow the gap between incomes in farming and other sectors (Whiteside, 1998).
In addition to these dilemmas, intensive agricultural research and delivery systems have performed disappointingly low in the least developed countries, particularly those of the sub-Saharan Africa for example Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, etc.
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