Nigerian Agricultural Development Strategy and Policy: a theoretical evaluation and policy implications

The majority of Nigerians are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood but governmental policies for development of the economy have tended to neglect the welfare of farmers. The governmental policies with respect to agriculture since independence in 1960 have swung widely with the boom and bust of income from petroleum and the consequent shift in importance of agricultural exports for foreign exchange. The civil war that ended in 1970 was also a serious distraction to the concern with the welfare of farmers.

Four theories of agricultural development were examined with respect to the Nigerian situation and the policies followed by the federal government. Traditional agriculture as viewed by Schultz appeared to explain part of the pattern of government policies. The classical and neoclassical models described by Jorgenson and the parallel dual economy model dealt with by Ruttan were found to bear little resemblance to the Nigerian situation. The integrated approach put forth by Hagan and Lele were found to be the most useful in understanding the development of Nigerian agriculture.

Information about agriculture in Nigeria since the FAO study which was requested in 1964 was found to be exceedingly scarce, making the analysis very tentative and the recommendations to be based primarily on personal observation and private communications. The national five-year plans were instructive. "Operation Feed the Nation" introduced in 1976 was followed by the "Green Revolution" in 1980 with a change of administration. While substantial progress was made in agriculture during the green revolution, some serious errors in its administration resulted in some unintended beneficiaries reaping very large rewards while the producers of agricultural products experienced very modest gains.

Successful agricultural development will require an atmosphere of trust of governmental officials, increased identification with national goals by farmers, emphasis on the well-being of the farmers, increasing investment in the infrastructure and sectoral goals that can be combined into a national food plan. The integrated approach suggested by Hagan and Lele has the greatest promise of the various theories that might be used to guide development.