Powered by IFAD

Rural poverty in Nigeria

Agriculture in the Federal Republic of Nigeria

Nigeria has a population of 150 million – the largest in Africa – and a fast-growing economy. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, contributing about 45 per cent of GDP. The agriculture sector employs about two-thirds of the country’s total labour force and provides a livelihood for about 90 per cent of the rural population. Nigeria is the world’s largest producer of cassava, yam and cowpea – all staple foods in sub-Saharan Africa. It is also a major producer of fish. Yet it is a food-deficit nation and imports large amounts of grain, livestock products and fish.

Nigeria’s huge agricultural resource base offers great potential for growth. Recent government policies have started to show results: between 2003 and 2007 the agricultural sector is reported to have grown by 7 per cent a year. The area of land under cultivation could be increased by as much as 100 per cent. And there is substantial scope for an increase in irrigation, which now covers only 7 per cent of irrigable land. Irrigation and other inputs would substantially increase average yields for major staple crops, currently below those in other developing countries.

Despite Nigeria’s plentiful agricultural resources and oil wealth, poverty is widespread in the country and has increased since the late 1990s. Over 70 per cent of Nigerians are now classified as poor, and 35 per cent of them live in absolute poverty.

Poverty is especially severe in rural areas, where up to 80 per cent of the population live below the poverty line and social services and infrastructure are limited. The country’s poor rural women and men depend on agriculture for food and income. About 90 per cent of Nigeria’s food is produced by small-scale farmers who cultivate small plots of land and depend on rainfall rather than irrigation systems. Surveys show that 44 per cent of male farmers and 72 per cent of female farmers across the country cultivate less than 1 hectare of land per household. Women play a major role in the production, processing and marketing of food crops. The poorest groups eke out a subsistence living but often go short of food, particularly during the pre-harvest period. The productivity of the rural population is also hindered by ill health, particularly HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

Women and households headed solely by women are often the most chronically poor groups within rural communities. Men have higher social status and as a result have more access to schooling and training. But women play significant roles in rural economic activities. Over recent decades the number of men migrating from rural areas in search of employment has increased, and the number of households headed solely by women has grown substantially.

Rural infrastructure in Nigeria has long been neglected. Investments in health, education and water supply have been focused largely on the cities. As a result, the rural population has extremely limited access to services such as schools and health centres, and about half of the population lacks access to safe drinking water.

Neglect of rural infrastructure affects the profitability of agricultural production. The lack of rural roads impedes the marketing of agricultural commodities, prevents farmers from selling their produce at reasonable prices, and leads to spoilage. Limited accessibility cuts small-scale farmers off from sources of inputs, equipment and new technology and this keeps yields low.

As the population swells and puts pressure on diminishing resources, escalating environmental problems further threaten food production. Land degradation as a result of extensive agriculture, deforestation and overgrazing is already severe in many parts of the country. Drought has become common in the north, and erosion provoked by heavy rains, floods and oil pollution is a major problem in the south and south-east.

Civil unrest aggravates poverty

Poverty and violence are often closely interconnected. Religious and ethnic tensions continue to brew in different parts of Nigeria, erupting into outbreaks of violence and leading in turn to a situation of escalating poverty and malnutrition. The move towards political liberalization has allowed militants from religious and ethnic groups to express their frustrations more freely, and with increasing violence. Thousands have died over the past years in clashes between different groups.

In the Niger Delta, where the oil industry is based, civil unrest and tensions and disputes over recognition and reward systems have resulted in conflicts. The government now recognizes the need to use oil and gas resources for the benefit of the people of the Niger Delta, and to replace policies that have proved to be counterproductive. The government is committed to defining and establishing credible and transparent procedures for compensation. Communities, oil and gas sector representatives and the political leadership are working increasingly to put into place systems that favour adequate rewards and contribute to conflict mitigation and resolution.


Source: IFAD