MAJOR PROBLEMS OF FOOD & AGRICULTURE IN NIGERIA

20.03.2013 LISTEN

Nigeria is One of the Most Highly Blessed Nations in

Africa. That She has not been able to Solve, even Her

Own Problems of Food and Agriculture is a Matter of

Very Great Concerns.
Anyhow, if you would like to be on the Full know of the

Major Problems Of Food Production In Nigeria, then

you have come to the Right Source. Here, in this Post

are 12 of Nigeria's Major Problems Of Food and

Agriculture, and they include:
1. Poverty
In today's Nigeria, one of the Major Problems of Food Production is Poverty. On the other hand, one of the Simplest and a Doubtless Truth that you can easily Know about Nigeria is the fact that over 75% of Her Rural Dwellers are Full-time Farmers.

Another Doubtless Truth that you can also Discover there is that Nigeria's present inability to, even Solve Her Own Problems of Food and Agriculture, is not as a Result of Her Peoples' Laziness; or say a Matter of the Nation being Naturally Unblessed. Nigerian Farmers and Nigerians in general are really Hard-working and Industrious.

A very Great Variety of Delicious Species of Organic Foods, Fruits, Vegetables and Cash-crops abound in the Country. In fact, the Nation is so Highly Blessed, and there are very large Acres of Fertile Agricultural Lands all around the Country.

But to me, Nigerians honestly are not really lacking Food. What they really lack there is the money to buy the Food; the money to Produce the Food; and, or even the money to procure small Piece of Land to Grow the Food.

2. Ignorance

Nigeria of today is a Country where Agriculture is

still greatly and relatively Undermined; and or even

Over-looked as a mere " Back-yard Business ".

Some Nigerian Youths even regard Farming as:

" An Odd Job that is meant only for the Illiterate

Rural People ".
In the eyes of some of Nigeria's Wealthy Class,

Farming is, Ignorantly Underrated or Abhorred as:

" Poor Peoples' Job ".
The very worst is that the Governments in Nigeria

Are, pretentiously doing very little or nothing in

Terms of Solving the Nation's Food and Agricultural

Problems.

3. Illiteracy
The greatest number of Dedicated Full-time

Farmers in Nigeria can neither Read nor

Write. The Local Farmers there are even as

Uninformed as they lack Modern Agricultural

Education.
The climax of illiteracy there, is Nigeria's

Total Negligence and, or Her Non-usage of Native

Languages in the Nation's Pursuits for Modern

Education. For in this Modern World, People that

still Studies in Foreign Languages have not really

started Learning. And this Level of Illiteracy and

Unawareness do often Constitute some serious Set-

backs, even in Nigeria's Food Production Efforts.

4. Use Of Manual Farm Tools / Methods
Do you know that the Average Nigerian Farmer is

still making use of only the same Out-dated Manual

Farm Tools - like Cutlass and Hoe - as their Fore-

fathers used since many Centuries ago?.

Do you also know that instead of using some

Affordable Modern Agricultural Techniques or

Simple Machines; the Farmers in that part of the

World have Changelessly, Adhered to various

Archaic Agricultural Methods and Practices that

were Copied from their Ancestors?.
In short, their use of these kinds of Archaic and

Out-dated Tools and Techniques, constitutes a very

great set-back in the Country's Food and

Agricultural Out-puts.
5. Lack Of Road; Water; & Electricity
The Rural Farming Communities in Nigeria have

neither Road nor Water nor Electricity. Some do

not even have Hospitals or Schools around them.

Can you then imagine the Pains and the Labors, and

to what extents the Farmers from such-like

Areas can Contribute in Food Production?.

1. Lack Of Food Storage or Processing Facilities
Many Delicious and Juicy Fruits, Vegetables, and

Cash-Crops are largely Produced from Nigeria's

Local Farming Communities. But, Do you know

that a very great Percentage of these Delicious

Organic Farm Produce often get Damaged and, or

Wasted before they reach their Final Consumers?.

In this kind of a Situation, One of the Major

Problems that is facing the Helpless Local Farmers

there, is Lack of Adequate Food Storage or

Processing Facilities.
7. Lack Of Modern Farm Machines / Techniques

Another Major Problem of Nigeria's Food and

Agriculture is lack of Modern Farm Machines or

Techniques. As I stated earlier, the Farmers in

Nigeria are still making use of Ancient Agricultural

Tools / Techniques; whilst there are Low-cost

Modern Farm Machines / Techniques out there for

Use as better Substitutes.
8. Lack Of Scientific & Technological Know-how

In Nigeria, Scientific and Technological Know-how is

relatively very low. Many Schools there in Nigeria

do not even have Science Laboratories. Hence, a

great Majority of Students there rather Theorize

Sciences than Practicalize them.
In fact, this Problem of Nigeria's Under-

Development in Science and Technology often

leave the Country to Depend largely on

Importation. And this equally, is part of the Major

Problems and Challenges of the Country's Food and

Agricultural Developments.
9. Disorganization & Unaccountability
Organization and Accountability is one of the Basics

of Better and Successful Management. But, till this

Age of Modernization and Civilization, Nigeria is still

Internally Disorganized. She lacks, even a Valid and

a Well-Organized Documentations of Her Citizens

or Properties or Marriages or Births or Deaths.

In the same vein, a majority of Farms there in

Nigeria lacks Organization or Records and

Accountability. Some Farmers there are merely

planting without any sort or kind of a Farm Records

or Organization; or Measurements or, at least; an

Account for an easier Identification of the possible

Reasons behind their Agricultural Gains or Loses.

10. Lack Of Leadership & Neo-Colonialism

One of the Most Serious of all the Major Problems

of Food and Agriculture in Nigeria is Lack of

Leadership. Mismanagements; Corruptions and

Embezzlements of Public Funds are very common

within Nigeria's Government Officials. And as you

know, Patriotism; Trust, Honesty; Organization

and Careful Management has often Led the

Success and Prosperity of Modern Man.

But there in Nigeria, all you can easily see or notice

is the Plain Fact the Nation has “ No Leaders ".

Another serious Problem there in Nigeria's Food

and Agriculture is the Fact that the Nation, has

never ever been Her Real Self.
Her Colonial Masters simply granted Her

Independence. But indirectly, Nigeria's

Resources, Economy, Politics, Language,

Culture and many more; are still suffering new

Methods of Mental Colonization or say, Neo-

Colonialism.

In this same vein, even Her Major Problems of Food

and Agriculture have no Real Solutions until Nigeria

is Fully and Unreservedly, in Control of Her Own

Self and Destiny.

11. Industrialization & Privatization
Modern Conversions and Privatizations of Food

and Agriculture into a very Big and Expensive

Industry or Conglomerate, is also of the Major

Contributors to Nigeria's Food and Agricultural

Set-backs.
In one hand, the Modern Global Waves of

Industrialization and Privatization of Food and

Agriculture really Produces Surplus Food that is

more than enough to Feed, even the Entire World

Population.
On the other hand, Food and Agricultural

Industrialization and Privatization, really Added

Greatly to Global Hunger and Poverty. The

Reasons are because Agric Industrialization and

Privatization:
- Results in an Uneven Distribution of Food.
- Uses much of the Produced Food in Feeding Animals.

- Is Wasteful and Destructive as it is only after Quantity.

- Favors the Haves and Disfavors the Have-nots.
- Adds Hidden Taxes to Prices of Food.
- Is Very Expensive and Uneconomical.
- And it Results in Total Loss of Rural Jobs; Etc…Etc.

12. Global Warming
Global Warming is also part of the Major Problems

of Food and Agriculture in Nigeria. Forest

Destructions and Over-grazing of Animals has

really turned a lot of Nigeria's Farmlands into

Deserts.
Like in other Countries of the World, several Lakes;

Rivers; Streams and Rain Forests have actually

Disappeared.
Many Nigerian Farming Communities that only

Depends on Rainfall, are now faced with Severe

Droughts, Erosions, Landslides; Deforestations and

An Excessive Massive Loss of Crops and Animals. All

these are some of the Real Impacts of Global

Warming on Nigeria's Agriculture and Food