ESTABLISHMENT OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL VILLAGES IN ALL 774 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN NIGERIA.

“The first indication of poverty is hunger, the first solution to hunger is food, the first solution to food is production of more food in order to eradicate hunger and poverty”.

Before the advent of oil, agriculture is the main income generating and economic activities of Nigeria and immediately after discovering of the oil in 1960, agriculture has been relegated to the back seat.
In order to tackle the global challenges of food shortage and insecurity,
Increase in food and raw materials productivity must be tackled more creatively and innovatively with appropriate science and technology.
One of the strategy to tackle the lack of interest among the youths in agriculture, and shortage in food and raw materials productivity and production is to establish an integrated sustainable agricultural villages in all the 774 local governments creating a copiable model that can be replicated in other locations.

Agriculture is an invaluable sector which contributions to the national revenue cannot be overlooked. Every year, the agricultural sector provides millions of jobs, tonnes of food and valuable raw materials, all of which translate into economic growth and development.

FACTS ABOUT AGRICULTURE IN NIGERIA

Here are some interesting facts about agriculture in Nigeria that we need to know about.

AGRICULTURE CONTRIBUTES MORE TO NIGERIA’S GDP THAN PETROLEUM

It may interest you to know that for many years, agriculture has contributed more to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) than petroleum, even though the latter accounts for about 80% of the country’s annual export earnings. Between 2011 and 2012, agriculture contributed to over 40% of the nation’s GDP. In 2018, the agricultural sector contributed an estimated 25% to Nigeria’s total GDP, the most by any sector, while the oil sector contributed 8.6% over the same period.

In 2019, the country’s GDP grew by 2.27 percent (from N69.80 trillion in 2018 to N71.39 trillion in 2019) and the growth was largely due to the contributions of the agricultural sector (N10.50 trillion), trade sector (N5.94 trillion) and the information and communication sector (N4.66 trillion).

In 2020, the agricultural sector accounted for 24% of Nigeria’s GDP while the oil sector accounted for less than 9%. The contribution of the agricultural sector to the national GDP was 25.88% percent in 2021, while that of the oil sector remained under 10% (7.24%). Without a doubt, agriculture has proven to be the most valuable contributor to Nigeria’s economic growth in recent times. In 2023, gross domestic product of agriculture is 19.63% and oil and gas is 5.48%.

AGRICULTURE CURRENTLY ACCOUNTS FOR OVER 30% OF EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN NIGERIA

Statistics from reliable sources show that Agriculture has provided job opportunities for countless Nigerians over the years. According to the World Bank collection of development indicators, employment in Nigeria’s agricultural sector accounted for nearly 35% of total employment in 2019 and 2020.

In the late 2000s and early 2010s, agriculture reportedly accounted for over 40% of employment in Nigeria. Currently, over 70% of Nigerians engage in agriculture, but mainly at the subsistence level.

Many may wrongly assume that crop farming, animal husbandry and trading are the only career options in agriculture, but agriculture in Nigeria is slowly evolving into a lucrative field with the advent of Agritech jobs that offer a wide range of career opportunities.

NIGERIA HAS A TOTAL AGRICULTURAL LAND AREA OF 70.8 MILLION HECTARES

Nigeria has a total agricultural area of 70.8 million hectares, of which 34 million hectares are arable land, 6.5 million hectares are used for permanent crops, and 30.3 million hectares are meadows and pastures.

Access to land for agricultural purposes is however limited by several challenges, these include poor land tenure system, climate change, extreme temperatures in some areas and excessive rainfall.

CROP PRODUCTION IS THE LARGEST SUBSECTOR OF AGRICULTURE IN NIGERIA

Crop production accounts for over 90% of agriculture’s GDP, with livestock, forestry and fishing comprising the remaining 10%. Cassava, Yam, Maize, Sorghum, Cowpea, Groundnut, Rice and Millet are the major food crops produced in Nigeria. These crops together cover 65% of the total cultivated area.

Cash crops like cocoa, rubber, cotton, cashew and oil palm are also cultivated extensively in Nigeria. Cocoa is Nigeria’s leading non-oil foreign exchange earner, however, there has been a steady decline in cocoa production in recent years. Rubber is the second largest non-oil foreign exchange earner, it is grown across numerous states in Nigeria; these include Edo, Delta, Ondo, Ogun, Abia, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi and Bayelsa. Oil palm is a significant contributor to the Nigerian economy, providing food and raw materials for the production of cosmetics, biofuels, plastics and drugs.

NIGERIA IS THE WORLD’S LARGEST PRODUCER OF CASSAVA AND YAM

Nigeria accounts for up to 20% of the world’s cassava production (and 34% of Africa’s), making the country the largest producer of the crop in the world. Though the crop is produced in 24 of the country’s 36 states, cassava production dominates the southern part of the country, in terms of area cultivated and number of farmers growing the crop. The major states of Nigeria which produce cassava are Anambra, Delta, Edo, Benue, Cross River, Imo, Oyo, and Rivers.

Cassava production in Nigeria is well-developed, with well-established multiplication and processing techniques. The crop is grown throughout the year due to its exceptional ability to adapt to climate change, tolerate low soil fertility and resist drought conditions.

According to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Nigeria is also the world’s largest producer of yam, accounting for over 70% of yam production in the world. The country produces over 47 million metric tonnes of yam annually.

Nigeria is also the largest producer of maize and rice in Africa.

LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION IS STILL LARGELY UNDER-EXPLOITED IN NIGERIA

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), animal production in Nigeria has remained under-exploited for decades. Livestock reared in Nigeria include poultry and ruminants like goats, sheep and cattle. Statistics show that domestic demand for livestock products in Nigeria outweighs production, despite several interventions by development partners to improve animal production and health.

Despite widespread consumption of animal products in Nigeria, livestock farming accounts for less than 10% of agriculture’s nominal GDP in the country, and its value continues to decline. Factors militating against animal production in Nigeria include inadequate finance, high cost of animal feeds, animal diseases, lack of infrastructure, lack of government incentives and transportation challenges.

NIGERIA WAS RANKED 119TH ON THE 2017 GLOBAL AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION INDEX

In 2017, the annual global innovation index focused on innovative advances taking place in the agricultural sector. Sadly, Nigeria was ranked 119th out of 127 countries. Lack of agricultural innovations and minimal adoption of modern technology in agriculture, are some of the major challenges preventing Agriculture from taking its rightful place as the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy.

Over the years, the Nigerian Government has made numerous attempts to transform the agricultural sector. Efforts have been made to encourage innovative ideas and provide adequate technology (and other incentives) to farmers.

This agricultural policies of the federal government has not been well adopted. Hence, it has not translated to expected increase in food and raw materials production. It is our believe that establishment of well managed and well funded of sustainable agricultural villages across all the 774 local governments will lead to job creation, wealth creation and food security in Nigeria.

If you want to participate in this program as a cordinator and partner in your local government kindly liaise with your local government chairman, and contact us for further action.
If you are also interested in being the state cordinator, kindly liase with your governor through the state commissioner of agriculture for further action

Tony Egba
Lead Consultant Tropical Agricultural Consultants
08038037674