Rural Areas And Transformation Of Agricultural

Production In Nigeria.

Introduction
Nigerian food politics is riddled with paradoxes
despite 65-72% are farmers. Food threats are more
challenging and it is as result of the followings;
Rapidly expanding population.
Loss of productivity due to ecological disruptions
Insurgencies/ persistent famine
Climatic changes
Dependence on oil ( monolithic revenue of income
in the past)
Neglect on the agricultural sectors ( Rural areas /
dwellers).

Aim / objectives
To discuss the role of rural farmers in
transformation of agricultural productions
To look into government economic
diversification policies towards agricultural
sectors
Constraints of rural dwellers in solving food
shortages problem and possible way out
Role of extension services to rural dwellers
and transformation drive.

What is rural area and

transformation?
A rural area is an open swath of land that has few homes or
other buildings, and not very many people.
A rural areas population density is very low.
Main occupation in rural areas is farming ( on subsistence
level)
Transformation is a process of profound and radical change
that orient an organization in a new direction and takes it to
entirely different level of effectiveness, i.e an incremental
progress on the same plane.
Agricultural transformation in rural areas is the process by
which individual farms shift from highly diversified,
subsistence-oriented production towards more specialized
production oriented, towards the market or other systems of
exchange in rural areas

Government economic diversification

policies toward agriculture.
Successive governments from pre/post colonial rule
depended on agriculture for economic development.
The advent of oil discovery later take high priority and
agriculture was neglected almost to the background
making Nigeria to run a monolithic economy for past
40-45 years.
The dwindling and sharp drop in oil prices makes us to
turn back to our main stay (Agriculture); needs to solve
issue of food scarcity, increase exportation ( foreign
exchange), provide raw materials for sustainability of
our industries, create employment, alleviate poverty
level, improve tourism, increase nutrition and health.

Roles of rural farmer in agricultural

transformation drive
To maintain viable rural communities, for whom farming is an important economic
activity creating local employment; this delivers multiple economic, social,
environmental and territorial benefits
Agriculture is an integral part of the Nigerian economy and society. In terms of
indirect effects, any significant cut back in rural farming activities would in turn
generate losses in GDP and jobs in linked economic sectors notably within the
agri-food supply chain.
Rural farming activities attracts tourism, transport, to local and public services
would also be affected.
Enhances primary agricultural sector for high quality, competitive and reliable raw
material inputs, as well as in non-food sectors.
Depopulation in rural areas would be accelerated as youths will be actively
engaged employment.
Rural farming activities will also plays an important part in rural, development,
especially due to land use, in Nigeria where the sector is of less economic
significance as more farm settlements and industrial estates will emerge.
Rural development is understood primarily in the economic sense of the process of
assuring a progressive improvement in economic security of dwellers in rural areas.

contd
Rural farming supports a range of ancillary and
service industries, generating economic activity
in supply, value and distribution chains as well
as processing industries. Where farming is the
primary economic activity, the entire rural
economy, including services such as health
care, education and basic infrastructure, may
depend on the profitability of the sector.
In rural areas, farming will contribute to rural
development by providing environmental and
cultural services to society.

Constraints of rural dwellers and

possible solutions
The basic concern of the people in rural areas is SURVIVAL. Many of
them are bypass by whatever economic progress has been attained.
SOLUTION- governance should be taking to grassroots level through
provision of inputs, finances, adequate and effective extension services
More than 80% of these people do not have enough food to meet their
basic nutritional needs. SOLUTION- government should organize
successive awareness programmes on nutrition and primary health
care.
Lack of infrastructural/ storage facilities/ good roads. SOLUTION- If
development is to take place and become self-sustaining, it will have to
start in the rural areas through provisions of good accessible roads,
storage and infrastructural facilities
Unabated acquisition of rural lands by government agencies for nonagricultural activities . SOLUTION- Government should create a
regulatory policy restricting the use of agricultural lands for nonagricultural activities.

Roles of extension services in

agricultural transformation drives.
Is to help small-scale farm households, especially
among the rural poor, improve their livelihoods by i)
increasing their farm income, ii)achieving household
food security, iii) organizing into producer groups (i.e.,
empowerment), and iv) increasing their access to health
services and education for their children.
An extension agent will arouse people to recognize and
take an interest in their problems, to overcome these
problems, to teach them how to do so, to persuade
them to act on his teaching, so that they ultimately
achieve a sense of satisfaction and pride in their
achievements.

Conclusion
extension services has remained
one of the prime movers in the
transformation of agriculture and
invariably in the rural development