PROBLEMS OF AGRICULTURE (1).docx

**PROBLEMS OF AGRICULTURE** Developing countries like Nigeria are faced with numerous problems which militate against the development of their agriculture. Some of these problems are: **1.** **Problem Of Land Tenure** -- Land tenure is the right to own, hold and use land. Land is an important fact...

**PROBLEMS OF AGRICULTURE** Developing countries like Nigeria are faced with numerous problems which militate against the development of their agriculture. Some of these problems are: **1.** **Problem Of Land Tenure** -- Land tenure is the right to own, hold and use land. Land is an important factor in agricultural production. The prevailing land tenure systems in the country discourage agricultural land utilization. Land is owned by inheritance, which is most common land ownership system in the country. This makes land to be fragmented from generation to generation. Increase in population has increased the alternative uses to which land can be put. **Solution** -- Land use act of 1978 as amended in 1999 constitution should be strictly adhered to. This will make land available to prospective and genuine farmers. **2. Lack of Basic Amenities** -- Agricultural production takes place mostly in the rural area where there is enough land area for these activities. These rural areas often lack basic amenities like electricity, cinema, standard school, good and functioning health centres, recreational parks, good roads, telephone, television and game viewing centres. This makes life more difficult in rural areas. This also leads to rural -- urban drift, that is, people leaving the village for jobs in the city. Rural -- urban drift brings about reduction in the working population in the village thereby causing low agricultural production. **Solution** -- Government, multinational companies, NGOs and other organisations should provide social amenities in the rural area to enhance agricultural production. Rural communities can equally come together and use communal efforts to provide and maintain certain social amenities. **3. Lack of Finance** -- Most of the farmers in the rural area are generally poor. They operate at subsistence level of production (small scale or peasant). They don't have necessary collateral to secure loan from banks to increase their level of production and expand their farming operations. **Solution** -- Loans, subsidies and other credit facilities should be made available to farmers by government, multinational companies, NGOs, other organisations working on social, economic, cultural and political development and manufacturing companies using agricultural products as their main raw materials. Farmers can also form cooperative society to help themselves. **4. Poor Transportation** -- Poor state of roads, inadequate vehicles and expensive spare parts that are even at times not available bring about serious transportation problems. This brings about high cost of bringing the farm products from rural areas to urban centres. It also increases perishability of farm products as a result of long time that is required to transport farm products to the markets due to bad state of the roads. **Solution** -- Repairing of old roads and construction of new ones. Provision of vehicles and spare parts by government. Private investors should also be encouraged to invest in transportation area of farm production. Farmers can also form group and buy vehicle to ease transportation problem. **5. Poor Communication** -- The absence of good and functioning communication facilities like radio, television, telephone, telex, fax machines, internet etc has been affecting agricultural production greatly. This makes professional agriculturist and farmers to be unaware of recent developments in the field of agriculture. **Solution** -- Provision of communication facilities that are affordable by government, non -- governmental organisations and other multinational companies. Farmers should form groups and link with their counterparts in other states, countries and abroad. This will enable them to exchange and share idea, skills, information and technology. **6. Lack of Good Storage and Processing Facilities** -- Lack of good storage facilities such as silo, rhumbus, cribs, barns, rafters etc and processing facilities such as thresher, miller, grater, canning machine, sealing machine, incubator etc leads to perishability of crops like tomato, orange, pepper, vegetable, meat, egg etc. Pests and diseases can also attack farm products that are not properly stored. All these will bring about reduction in quality and quantity of farm products. It causes glut during harvest and famine outside harvest periods. **Solution** -- Provision of good storage and processing facilities by government, non-governmental organisations, multinational companies etc. Investors can also invest on storage and processing area of agricultural production. Farmers can form groups to acquire some storage and processing facilities. **7. Lack of Agricultural Education** -- Most of the farmers in the rural area are not educated. As a result of this they are dogmatic and adamant to change. They are very suspicious of any new innovation, unwilling to even learn how to use and apply fertilizer, insecticide and new tools **Solution** -- Agricultural trainings, workshops, lectures, seminars etc should be organised by government, non -- governmental organisations. Farmers can also form group to educate themselves. Illiterate farmers can be educated through on -- farm demonstration, while literate farmers can be educated through lectures, symposia, conferences, workshops and demonstration classes. Illiterate farmers can also benefit from lectures and workshops that are conducted in local languages. **8. Poor Extension Services** -- Extension activities in this country are very poor due to the facts that extension workers are ill -- equipped and not enough for the work. The extension agent and farmer ratio is too high. Language barrier is also another problem militating against efficient extension services. Other problems include uncooperative attitude of some farmers, lack of vehicle and poor remuneration. **Solution** -- Government should standardize extension services. They should give adequate training and package (remuneration) to extension agents. They should also keep them well equipped for the task. **9. Poor Tools and Farm Machines** -- Farmers still rely on the use of tools like hoe, cutlass, rake, basket etc for their activities instead of using the mechanized machines and implements such as tractor, bulldozer, plough, harrow, ridger, sprayer etc. This leads to drudgery of farmers, time wasting, short life span of the farmers, low yield and low income to the farmers. **Solution** -- Government and non -- governmental organisations should provide implement and machines for the use of the farmers. Government should increase machines and implements hiring centres. Farmers can also come together as a group to acquire some of these machines and implements for their use. **10. Unstable Policies and Programmes of Government** -- Every government comes with different programme which often tell on the farmers. Programmes like back to land, operation feed the nation, green revolution, better life for rural dwellers, family support programme, directorate of food, road and rural infrastructure (DFRRI) have not meant much to the local farmers except mere wasting of time because before they get use to one programme, the government that introduces such programme is no longer in office. **Solution** -- Government should stabilize their agricultural policies and programmes. Programmes, especially those that are beneficial should out live the government or regime that establishes it. **11. Poor Marketing System** -- The main aim of farmers in commercial farming is to make profit, but this cannot be achieved due to the activities of middlemen who try to remove all the gains for themselves leaving only the pains for farmers that have laboured. They create artificial scarcity for their own benefit. Poor pricing policies, poor marketing channels for farm produce and fluctuation in prices are problems confronting farmers under poor marketing system. **Solution** -- Government should provide good pricing policies, form functional food commodity boards and create good marketing channels. Government should encourage private sector to establish credible agricultural products marketing and exporting outfits. Farmers should come together to form group that will help in marketing of agricultural products from their farms. **12. Problems of Pests and Diseases** -- Pests and disease are major problem in agricultural production. They bring about reduction in quality and quantity of farm produce. They increase the cost of production, because money is spent in preventing and controlling pests and diseases on the farm. They reduce farmer's income and discourage farmers from further production. Solution -- Research institutes should produce pests and diseases resistance breeds of animals and varieties of crops. Chemicals should be made available by government and non -- governmental organisations as well as multinational companies. Farmers should also come together and provide solution to the menace of pests and diseases. **13. Unpredictable Climate** -- The problems of drought or long period without rain which to poor harvest, excessive sunshine that causes high temperature, inadequate sunshine that affects photosynthesis are some of the unpredictable climatic factors affecting agricultural production. **Solution** -- In case of drought, water should be supplied to crops by artificial means (irrigation). In case of flood, good drainage system should be employed. Weather and climate must be properly studied to know when to plant, harvest and how to store the harvested products. Weather and climate study must be reviewed from time to time (30 -- 35 years). Government, multinational companies and non -- governmental organisations should assist farmers in case of natural disaster occasioned by unpredictable climate. Farmers too should use their experiences wisely on when to plant and harvest crop. **14. Lack of Quality Agricultural Inputs** -- Inputs such as high quality seeds and seedlings, chemicals like insecticide, fungicide, nematicide etc are not readily available for farmers to use. This affects the quality and quantity of farm produce. **Solution** -- High quality farm inputs should be made available to farmers by government to enhance agricultural production. Non -- governmental organisations and multinational companies can also assist farmers. Farmers can also come together to import quality agricultural inputs. Government can also encourage private investors to invest in this area of agricultural production. **15. Sociological and Psychological Attitudes towards Farming** -- The general belief in the society is that farming is synonymous to poverty and that farmers are generally poor. Young people feel that farming is for the drop outs or never -- to -- do -- well in the society and a profession for the poor people. **Solution** -- Government should assist to elevate the status of farming and farmers in the country. They should also recognise and honour farmers like other professions. Social and religious organisations and groups should also honour and recognise farmers. Non -- governmental organisations should also honour and recognise farmers. [**waheed.ganiyu\@whitesands.org.ng**](mailto:[email protected]) **08055830232**