Agriculture in the Savannas of Northern Nigeria

Abstract

Poverty has persisted in most African countries due largely to poor agricultural performance. In Nigeria, efforts to improve the agricultural sector have been unsuccessful. About 45% of the population lives below the poverty line. This study was carried out in northern Nigeria to reassess farmer circumstances and suggest new agricultural development strategies. Results show that low input use, high land-use intensity, diseases/pests/weeds, drought and poor institutional development have resulted in low and declining crop/livestock productivity. Agricultural transformations have taken place and farmers have devised both appropriate and damaging coping strategies. The study concludes with recommendations for sustainable agricultural development.

Keywords

agricultural performance resource pressures long-term changes coping strategies development pathway Nigeria

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bationo

Mokwunye

A. U.

(1991), ‘Alleviating soil fertility constraints to increased crop production in West Africa: The experience in the Sahel’, Fertilizer Research, Vol 29, pp 95–115.

CIA (2002), The World Factbook – Nigeria, Website: http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ni.html.

FAO – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (1986), Ethiopian Highland Reclamation Study, Final Report, FAO, Rome.

IITA – International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (1988), IITA Strategic Plan: 1989–2000, IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria.

IITA (2000), Website: http://www.iita.org/research/high2000/proj14.htm.

IITA (2002), Website: http://www.iita.org/news/bullet.PDF.

Manyong

V. M.

Makinde

K. O.

Ogungbile

A. G. O.

(2000), ‘Agricultural transformation and fertilizer use in the cereal-based systems of the northern Guinea savanna of Nigeria’, Project 14: Impact, Policy and Systems Analysis, Annual Report, IITA, Ibadan.

Nkonya

Pender

Sserunkuuma

Jagger

(2002), Development Pathways and Land Management in Uganda, paper presented to the Conference on Policies for Land Management in the East African Highlands, 24–26 April, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Addis Ababa.

Runge

(1992), ‘Common property and collective action in economic development’, in Bromely ed, Making the Commons Work: Theory, Practice and Policy, International Center for Self-Governance, San Fransisco, CA, pp 41–62.

10.

Sanders

J. H.

Ahmed

(2001), ‘Developing a fertilizer strategy for sub-Saharan Africa’, Sustainability of Agricultural Systems in Transition, ASA Special Publication No 64, ASA-CSSA-SSSA, Madison, WI, pp 173–181.

11.

Spencer

D. S. C.

(1994), ‘Infrastructure and technology constraints to agricultural development in the humid and sub-humid tropics of Africa’, EPTD Discussion Paper No 3, Environment and Production Technology Division, International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC.

12.

Vordzorgbe

S. D.

(1995), Supporting Agriculture to Grow in Ghana, DevCourt Ltd, Accra, Ghana.

13.

Wischmeier

W. H.

Smith

D. D.

(1978), Predicting Rainfall Erosion Losses – A Guide to Conservation Planning, US Agricultural Handbook 537, US Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC.