Thesis Abstract

                       ABSTRACT 

This study examined the reality of the impact of Agricultural Development Programmes on rural dwellers in Nigeria, using the people of Isan Ekiti, Oye Local Government Area of Ekiti State as case study. Therefore, it investigated if the programme has brought about increase in the production of foodstuff, income level of farmers, improved seeds, provision of pesticides, and fertilizer for farmers. The research method employed a survey study which involved the administration of questionnaire as the research instrument. A total of seven hundred and seventy three questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistics involving percentage frequency distribution, pictorial representation, graphical illustrations and regression approach. The study hypotheses were tested using multiple linear regression analysis and the empirical result reveals that Agricultural Development Programmes have significantly increased food production in the locality through increased provision of pesticides and improved seeds to farmers, establishment of new infrastructure and provision of fertilizers. The analysis of the evidence from the result however reveals that accessibility of credit by farmers has no significant effect on increased Agricultural productivity. The study therefore recommends that government should increase its effort in the area of Agricultural credit financing.

Thesis Overview

1. INTRODUCTION

Over the years, several agricultural programmes have been introduced to reduce abject poverty among rural dwellers, mostly farmers, in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Some of these programmes include: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Agricultural Development Programmes (ADP), Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), and National Economic Empowerment and Development (NEED), The Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DIFRRI), National Orientation Agency (NOA), National Accelerated Food Production Programme (NAFPP), Green Revolution (GR), Operation Feed the Nation (OFN), etc. (World Bank, 1993, World Bank, 1995a, World Bank, 1995b; World Bank, 1996; Hashmi and Sial 2007; IFAD 2001), but it seems that these efforts have yielded little or no impact on the rural population, as evident in the literature (Afolayan, 1997). Consequently, the rate of poverty in rural areaskeeps increasing steadily(Diamond, 1999; Handley et al., 2009; Gate 2014).

  However, this study limits its scope to Agricultural Development Programmes (ADP), which aims at increasing food production for rural dwellers and raising the income level of small scale farmers by making provision for improved seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, credit facilities and infrastructural facilities (Ajayi and Ajala, 1997; Garba, 2000; Akpobo, 2007).The study focuses on its impact on rural dwellers in IsanEkiti, Oye Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Nigeria.

 Since inception of ADP in the village, studies to assess the impact of these provisionson indigeneshave never been explored inthe literature. Thus, the probability of Agricultural Development Programmesresulting in increased foodstuff for rural dwellers is yet to be ascertained. Moreover, the likelihood of farmers having easy access to improved seeds, pesticides and fertilizer for farming has never been investigated. Equally very essential and related to the foregoing but yet to be examined is the probability of ADP granting farmers adequate access to credit facilities. Apart from its academic worth to the body of knowledge, this study intends to discover if the existence of Agricultural Development Programmes has actually impacted on the rural population,in respect of food production and infrastructural facilities.Hunger and poor infrastructural facilities in rural areas have been associated with criminal activities and rural-urban migration(Asiabaka, 2010; Angus, 2010; Aworemi et al., 2011; BBC, 2012; International Monetary Fund, 2013; The Economist, 2014)in many societies. If the problem of food and infrastructural facilities are adequately addressed in rural areas, it could reduce the rate of stealing and rural-urban migration in Nigeria. Other aspects of this study are: Literature review, methodology, result, discussion recommendation and conclusion.

1.1 Operational Definition of Terms 

The following terms are defined as used in this article Poverty- Poverty means a state in which an individual, a group, or population lacks essential elements of life within their societies. These include lack of basic survival items like food, clothing, shelter, and health care, or the financial means to obtain these.Poverty is usually a phenomenon of rural dwellers in Nigeria. Agricultural Development Programmes Several programmes instituted by the government and world agencies to address the problem of poverty among rural dwellers in Nigeria.