problems of agricultural development

problems of agricultural development IN NIGERIA. Many developing countries in West Africa are faced with numerous problems which militate against the development of agriculture. Despite having about 60-75% of their labour force in agriculture, West Africa countries cannot meet their domestic food requirements. There has been a decline in the contribution of agriculture to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of many West African countries

problems of agricultural development and its objectives

Identify the main components of agriculture
Explain the main features of various systems of agriculture

Explain the importance of agricultural products to economic development using Nigeria as an example
Explain the process and challenges of marketing both livestock, food and cash crops in Nigeria

Seventeen (17) reasons for low agricultural productivity

Land tenure system: The type of land tenure system in
West African discourages farmers from acquiring the land for large scale farming
Inadequate finance or credit facilities: Majority of the farmers is too poor and do not have the finance to make purchase of land, tools, e.t.c. They do not have access to loan facilities from banks

Poor transportation system: The presence of bad roads or total lack of it makes distribution of products to markets very difficult and this leads to wastage. The non-availability of vehicles coupled cost of transporting farm produce makes things difficult for agriculture to develop—problems of agricultural development

Inadequate storage facilities and processing facilities: Lots of produce are wasted due to lack of storage and processing facilities. The farmers do not have the technical know how to operate the storage and processing facilities, which are very expensive to purchase and maintain

Inadequate farm input: Farm input like chemicals fertilizers, improved seeds, tools and implements are not easily available and ,they are too expensive for the farmer to afford

Illiteracy of the farmer: Majority of the farmers who are engaged in farming (over 60%) are illiterate and as such they cannot make use of modern techniques in agriculture

Lack of basic amenities: Lack of basic amenities like electricity, pipe-borne water and proper health care makes able-bodies men and women to migrate== migration from rural to urban areas in search of non-existent jobs problems of agricultural development-

Use of crude implements: The use of simple farm tools likes cutlass and hoe leads to low agricultural production. Majority of the farmers are so poor that they cannot afford to buy modern tools and equipment to improve their product

Unfavorable climate: Unpredictable and unfavorable climate like high temperature and low rainfall generally discourage serious farming activities
Lack of technical know how: Majority of farmers lack the technical knowledge of modern farming as a result of their illiteracy and this militates against the increase in agricultural productivity

Problems of pest and diseases: Pest and diseases are not controlled by majority of the farmers. Pests and diseases generally reduce the quality and income of the farmers problems of agricultural development

Poor marketing system: There are no organized marketing channels for farm produce. There is also lack of proper pricing for agricultural produce.

Rural-urban drift: The movement of able-bodies men and youth out of the rural areas to urban centres has worsened the development of agriculture. Agriculture is thus left to old men and women who cannot produce for the increasing population

Inconsistent government policies: Inconsistent government policies on agriculture reduce agricultural development. The policies at times fail to recognize the rural farmers that produce food for the country. Most of the policies are centered around fake city farmers who only collect money from the government and use them for other purposes

Natural disasters: Natural disasters like flood, drought, etc may occur and this will reduce agricultural productivity
Lack of research: Most farmers do not have access to research work and this leads t o low agricultural development

Political/social instability: Political/social instability in the country affects agricultural activities as farmlands are usually destroyed during communal clashes. This leads to low agricultural productivity and problems of agricultural development

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16. CROP ROTATION

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