AGRICULTURE AND FOOD INSECURITY IN NIGERIA

Just like Sithembile's story I grew up in a local area in Nigeria where natives wake up in the morning and head to the farm with crude implements like hoes, cutla**** and shovels. Over the years I have watched as harvests dwindle and farmlands lose fertility because the soil nutrients can not be sustained, with little or no fertilizer application and inability of local farmers to adopt shifting cultivation as a result of scarcity of farmland.

Mechanised agriculture is hardly in practice in Nigeria due to the high cost of modern farm machines and lack of operators and technical experts to maintain the equipment.

Subsistence agriculture is wide spread in Nigeria but no longer tolerable, if the country must feed itself. Improved seedlings, modern farm equipment, herbicides, storage facilities and mills for food processing are necessary but grossly inadequate in the fight against hunger, exacerbated by the use of the crops for alternative energy development. See below link:

http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu28ae/uu28ae05.htm

If any disaster happens, Nigeria can barely feed its population for 3days – hence the Federal Government approved the construction of two silos to boost food storage. See links below:

http://allafrica.com/stories/200907060051.html

http://www.fews.net/docs/Publications/nigeria_outlook_2008_Q1_Q2_Q3_final.pdf

http://www.cenbank.org/out/Publications/efr/RD/2002/efrVol39-4-6.pdf

A research was conducted by S. O. Apantaku of Department of Agricultural extension & Rural Development, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, to analyze participation of farmers in participatory poultry research (PPR) in Lagos State, Nigeria. The sample selected through a combination of purposive and random sampling, included 20 poultry researchers and 100 poultry farmers. Data were collected through a structured interview schedule and questionnaire, and analyzed by descriptive statistics and chi-square.

The study concluded that there are too few elements of farmer-researcher participatory poultry research (PPR) in Lagos State, farmers are more involved in contract and consultative participation than collaborative and collegiate, even though farmers' participation in all of them is very low and the level of use of PPR by researchers is very low. However, both farmers and researchers are highly willing to participate in and use PPR if the enabling environment and conditions are right. The constraints that militate against the use of PPR by researchers are inadequate motivation of researchers to use PPR by their organizations, the need for extra fund to execute PPR and inadequate skills and knowledge of researchers in using PPR.

It is recommended that research institutes and universities should design and implement policies and programmes aimed at encouraging and motivating researchers in using PPR. Research institutes in collaboration with extension agencies should conduct training and workshops for farmers to build and increase their capacities, skills and knowledge to actively participate in PPR. See link below:

http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd18/7/apan18094.htm

Animal drawn implements are in use, especially in Norther part of Nigeria.

Presently, farmers use workbulls mostly for land preparation. Their use can be increased and made more economical by using them for other farm operations such as harrowing, puddling, intercultivation, threshing, transportation and waterlifting. Improved hand tools will also facilitate farm work. Some of the animal drawn implements are: animal drawn ridger, animal drawn plough, disc harrow, cultivator, bund former, single row cotton drill, automatic seed fertilizer drills, three row fluted roll drill, spike/bar harrow, land leveler, tropicultor, chain washer pump, ox carts for transportation. See links below:

http://www.fao.org/wairdocs/ilri/x5483b/x5483b0t.htm

http://www.ilri.org/InfoServ/Webpub/Fulldocs/X5455b/x5455b1s.htm

In conclusion, I know that Nigeria needs global assistance to tap its abundant resources, especially in the development of mechanized agriculture and production of food for its teeming population and the African populace.