Describe the political, social cultural, economic, and agricultural change in Nigeria since 1960?

Phenominalpsam24

3 years ago

The study reviews several agricultural policies and programmes that were initiated in Nigeria vis a vis the development of the agricultural sector in the nation. It examines the impact of intervention programmes like the Operation Feed the Nation, Green Revolution and Agricultural Development Projects. The paper concludes by identifying gaps in the inventions, execution and management of the programmes. Solutions/recommendations were then proffered based on these gaps as lessons/guide for future policies and programmes inventions.

INTRODUCTION

Agriculture as an indigenous occupation in Nigeria has gone through various phases of development. This development is an effect of government policies and state approach to agriculture which either demeans or heightens the impact of the Sector in the nation. According to the Central Bank of Nigeria in 2016, the sector in the 1960’s contributed 85% of the Nigeria foreign exchange earnings, 90% employment generation, and about 80% to gross domestic product. Available data also confirms that at independence in 1960, the contribution of agriculture to the GDP was about 60%, which is typical for developing agrarian nations.

This development prompted government to initiate several agricultural policies/projects and programs to enhance agricultural productivity in Nigeria. A policy is a deliberate plan of action to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. Policies prescribe how people in an organization should act or behave. Agricultural policy is a statement of action and a fundamental tool employed in achieving agricultural development. A programme, on the other hand is a comprehensive plan that includes objectives to be attained, specifications of resources required and stages of work to be performed. Elaborate plans are oftentimes regarded as programmes ad are collections of coordinated activities that are mutually directed towards the attainment of a definite goal.

It is generally accepted that Nigerian agriculture Clearly, the persisted failures of most agricultural programmes in Nigeria have revealed the basic weakness of agricultural policies in Nigeria and the inability of the several administrations in Nigeria to solve the basic and fundamental problems of agricultural development.

In Nigeria agricultural policies and programmes have undergone changes especially in the postcolonial era. These changes have been a mere reflection of changes in government or administration. This is because these policies and programmes vary only in nomenclature and organizational network. They emphasize almost same objectives like: to provide food for the inhabitants of the nation (food security and sufficiency) and export excess to other countries and to provide rural dwellers and farmers with extension services, agricultural support and rural development services. Notwithstanding all the policies and laudable programmes with challenging themes, Nigeria is yet to achieve food security. Some policies and programmes were positively impactful while some made no difference. Notwithstanding the plethora of policies, agriculture continues to suffer from inertia associated with these policies and