The agricultural history of Nigeria is intertwined with its political history. This is discussed broadly in the context of the varying constitutional frame works, viz: colonial, the internal self government and the post- 1960 periods, according to sectors. The period of the colonial administration in Nigeria, 1861- 1960, was punctuated by rather adhoc attention to agricultural development. During the era, considerable emphasis was placed on research extension services. The first notable activity of the era was the establishment of a botanical research station in Lagos by sir Claude Mcdonald in 1893. This was followed by the acquisition of 10.4 kilometers of land in 1899 by the British Cotton Growing Association (BCGA) for experimental work on cotton.
In 1912, a department of agriculture was established in each of the then southern and northern Nigeria, but was suspended between 1913 and 1921 as a result of the First World War and its aftermath. From the early 1920s to the mid 1930s, there was a resurgence of activities and this period has been called the ‘Faulkner Strip layout’ era in honour of the Director of Agriculture, Mr. O. T. Faulkner, who devised a statistical design for experimental trials in green manuring, fertilizer projects, rotational cropping systems and livestock feeding. From the late 1930s to the mid 1940s, there were significant intensification and expansion of research activities, and extension and training programmes of the agricultural departments. The intensification of hostilities during the Second World War led to the slowing down of activities and the call to Departments of Agriculture to play increasing roles in the production of food for the army and civilians in the country and the empire. Production of export crops like palm products and rubber which could not be obtained from Malaysia as a result of Japanese war activities in south- east Asia, and such food items as sugar, wheat, milk, eggs, vegetables, Irish potatoes, and rice whose importation was prevented by naval blockade of the high seas increased.
In terms of employment, agriculture is by far the most important sector of Nigeria’s economy, engaging about seventy percent (70%) of the labour force. About 30.7 million hectares (76 million acres) or 33 percent of Nigeria’s land area are under cultivation. Niger’s diverse climate, from the tropical areas of the coast to the arid zone of the north, makes it possible to produce virtually all agricultural products that can be grown in the tropical and semi tropical areas of the world.
Nigeria, blessed with both human and natural resources has never at any given time lacked the desired soil or favorable weather conditions needed for successful agricultural production. Presently, virtually all food items imported to the country have their traditional aboard in the states across Nigeria. Livestock production is also very successful in both northern and southern states.
Before Nigeria’s emergence as a leading nation in 2020, attention must be paid on the following:
1. The economic meltdown, where the government needs to have a sound fiscal policy that is effective.
2. Energy crisis in Nigeria, where there is need for total overhauling of the energy sector and curbing of the infrastructure decay in our system.
3. The Nigerian tax laws, where there is need to update some of our tax laws to meet up with the present day reality. Also to increase effort in curbing sharp practices and eliminate quackery in the tax system.
With respect to Nigeria’s target of becoming one of the twenty leading economies in the world by the year 2020, I believe that, it can greatly be achieved, especially if we can go back to agriculture.
However, for Nigeria to make agriculture a truly business enterprise, the three ingredients for success must be considered, viz: Mission, Vision and the critically important Disciplined Human Capital that must make the mission and vision work. Agriculture was Nigeria’s economic mainstay until we missed the point. Finding the road now is getting a committed, disciplined human capital. It is available, it can be done. We need the political will. We need the funding and we need the implementation. We must make sure that somebody who can do it is in charge and we must measure what we are doing within a time frame. If we put a 50 percent focus, imagination, speed, we get 50 percent result. If we put 100 percent, in five years time, Nigeria will jump into high speed, high discipline; wake up by six in the morning, go home by six in the evening, 12 hours, good work, in five years time, Nigeria will jump. The people who do the work should be incentivised, let the people who work hard get rich. They will do it and they will get rich. Nigeria is rich with a good number of agro- scientists who can energize the farmers with modern techniques of how to store their products, knowing exactly what pesticide to use. The farmers and the agro- scientists in all areas and those who do agricultural inputs for livestock, snail, fish and poultry farming are all part of the value chain and they all must be incentivised.
Significantly, the key targets flowing from these new policy footing are food security transformation of Nigeria into a net exporter of food; the encouragement of modern and efficient agricultural techniques and methods, and preservation of the environment through the adoption of efficient land and water management practices. Thus, commercializing agriculture in Nigeria and turning the country into an agro-power house that can feed itself and meet the food needs of the world.
Nigeria can become the leading nation in agriculture by 2020 and beyond, if we can take the following steps:
1. Formulate plans of action for sustainable development of agriculture: this serves as an important basis for the federal and state governments to prepare, examine and verify programmes and policies concerning agricultural and rural developments as well as guide for agricultural development in the immediate future and for a long period.
2. Protect basic farmland: the government should revise relevant laws and regulations on land management, promulgate the basic farmland protection regulations and establish basic farmland protection regions and the compensation system for occupied farmland.
3. Develop eco-agriculture: in light of laws of ecology and eco- economics, projects should be implemented for eco-environment restoration, resources conservation and introduction of environmental friendly technologies through restructuring of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fisheries.
4. Develop dry land water- saving farming and protect agricultural eco- environment with agronomic and biological measures.
5. Develop renewable energy in rural areas: this can be achieved through the introduction of fuel wood- saving stoves, biogas and solar energy. Biogas should be developed through making use of animal and poultry wastes, straws and stalks. In addition, efforts should be made to introduce solar- energy stoves and make use of renewable energy like wind and geothermal energy. All these can contribute to alleviating energy shortage in rural areas and bring deforestation under control to a certain degree, and to effectively protect the eco-environment.
6. Reinforce establishment and protection of grassland: the government should carry out projects for recovering and establishing natural vegetation of grassland, enclosed pastures, seed production bases of pasture plants, returning pasture to grassland and protect grassland eco-environments to control sand storm sources. These will enable improvement in the nation wide total acreage under cultivated pasture, improved pasture and enclosed pasture, the grassland vegetation will return to normal and the eco-environment will take a turn for the better.
7. Enhance management of fishery resources: through issuing water surface use certificates for aquaculture and fishing licenses to fishing vessels for controlling the intensity of inshore fishing, international cooperation in this field will be strengthened. A fee- collection system and releasing fish fries should be introduced to increase fishery resources; the system of fishing sanatorium period and non-fishing areas instituted to enhance protection of fish resources, and efforts made to preserve wild rare aquatic animals and plants. Thus, fishery law should be enforced.
In all, if the necessary attention is paid to agriculture, the needed investment made to develop the sector, and its potentials fully harnessed, it will provide employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths currently loitering main streets of various cities. It will equally guarantee amongst other things: alternative source of foreign exchange; poverty alleviation; food security; rural empowerment; eradication of youth restiveness and militancy; and place the economy on the part of development.
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