Nigeria is supposed to be a country where food supply should be in abundance as a result of its vast Agricultural land. The climate and soil in Nigeria supports the growth of many foods and cash crops. Despite all these, agricultural practices in Nigeria is not as good as it used to be in time past, and the contribution of the Agricultural sctor to the Nigerian economy is quite low. This is as a result of a good number or reasons. In this post, we shall be looking at some problems of Agricultural development in Nigeria and some of its possible solutions.

Problems of Agricultural Development in Nigeria and Possible Solutions

Major Problems of Agricultural Development in Nigeria

  1. Poverty

Poverty is one of the major problems facing Agricultural development in Nigeria. Insufficient funds or capital can limit farmers from acquiring large hectares of land in order to practice mechanised farming. This can lead to reduction in the production of foods.

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  1. Ignorance

In this present generation, an average Nigerian youth have little or no interest in Agriculture. They have no idea how profitable and interesting commercial Agriculture is. Most of the people in the country today have the mentality that farmers are poor and do not pull enough respect in the society.

  1. Illiteracy

Illiteracy is also among the major problems of Agricultural development in Nigeria. Many farmers who are truly dedicated to the profession do not know how to read and write. Apart from that, they lack the knowledge of modern practices and innovation in farming. All these can hinder a proper and optimal practice of Agriculture.

  1. Bad road network

Bad road network affects the transportation of agricultural produce. This hinders the transportation of agricultural produce from the farms to the various areas where they are needed.

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  1. Poor power supply

The epileptic power supply experienced in Nigeria is nothing to write home about. It have a negative effect on agriculture too. This is because perishable foods such as tomato, fish and the likes cannot be stored properly because there is little or no electricity to power the cooling equipment such as refrigerators, cold rooms etc.

  1. Lack of modern farm machines

There are inadequate farm machines to carry out mechanised farming, thus leading to low production of farm produce.

  1. Disorganisation and Unaccountability

Apart from illiteracy, most farmers do not know how to keep farm records. This makes then to lose track of their activities on the farm, and they cannot give proper account of their finances too. This nonchalant attitude towards organisation is another major problems of Agricultural Development in Nigeria

  1. Poor Agricultural Policies

Once there are poor Government policies targeted towards agriculture, this will definitely yield a poor result

  1. Global warming

The global warming and changes in climatic conditions does have a negative effect on crop yields. Droughts, floods and so on, are major problems of Agricultural Development in Nigeria.

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Some Solutions To Problems of Agricultural Development in Nigeria

  1. Good Agricultural policies

There is a great need for the Federal Government to enact good agricultural policies in Nigeria. This is to improve the role of agriculture in the economic development in Nigeria.

  1. Loans

Government and other organisations should grant loans to farmers in order to help them expand their land procure equipment and machines that will facilitate large scale farming.

  1. Sensitization

Farmers and the general public should be sensitized on the importance of agriculture to the development of the nation’s economy. Youths should be enlightened about the profitability of agriculture.  Farmers should also be sensitized on how to keep proper farm records and also how to do it accurately.

  1. Education

Farmers who lack proper education should be educated on how to read and write.

  1. Facilitation of Mechanised farming

Mechanised farming should be encouraged by making farm machines readily available for farmers.

  1. Proper road network

Government should ensure that they repair roads that easily connect the farms and markets. This is to facilitate easy transportation of farm produce from the farms down to the markets.

Conclusion

These are some of the major problems of Agricultural Development in Nigeria today and their possible solutions. If all these problems can be amended, they we should be expecting a positive contribution of Agriculture to the Nigerian economy.