The early years of agric programmes in Nigeria

On a general note, different agricultural programmes were introduced by successive administrations in Nigeria with the aim to provide food security for the citizens. But considering the challenges of policy flip – flops, lack of sustained support for the farmers, disregard for the sector in favour of crude oil, and insecurity

food security has declined since political independence on October 1,1960. Other factors that have exacerbated food insecurity in recent years include climate change leading to the flushing floods, seasonal drought and land degradation, in some parts of the country. Another critical issue is that of violent conflicts between armed herders and farmers. It is therefore, evident with the contribution of agriculture to the national economy dropping from 64 % to the GDP in 1960 to 46% in 2010 and down to 20.97% in 2024.

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According to the World Food Summit, food security exists when people have access to enough safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development, and an active and healthy life. By contrast, food insecurity refers to when the aforementioned conditions do not exist. Chronic food insecurity is when a person is unable to consume enough food over an extended period to maintain a normal, active and healthy life. Acute food insecurity is any type that threatens people’s lives or livelihoods. Latest figures from the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, or SOFI, report, show that 673 million people experienced hunger in 2024.

Yet, the right to food is expressly recognized in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights as part of the right to an adequate standard of living, and is enshrined in the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Of significance, is that the level of a country ‘s food security is one of the factors used to measure its economic development. As for Nigeria, the number of food-insecure citizens increased significantly, from 66.2 million in Q1, 2023, to 100 million in Q1, 2024 (WFP, 2024), with 18.6 million facing acute hunger and 43.7 million of them showing crisis-level. The import of this is that much more needs to be done than said about the different agricultural programs since the Sixties.

An appraisal of the different programs, their impact or not has become important to fashion the best way forward out of the food insecurity challenge.

It should be noted that the impact of the agricultural value chain of food production, processing, packaging, preservation, marketing for both local consumption and export plays a significant role on both the Gross Domestic Product, GDP and the Human Development Index, HDI.

Beginning with the administration of Tafawa Balewa (1960-1966) the Regional Agricultural Programmes (RAP) was characterized by focus on colonial cash crop production against food crops mainly for export.

They were set in place between the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) and the Regional Governments (RGs) in accordance with Nigeria’s Constitution of 1963. To achieve this aim, the Regional Ministries of Agriculture were established in 1962/63. The Western region became the major producer of cocoa and coffee, while rubber came from the Mid-West. The Eastern Region Oil Palm and Northern region Ground-nut and Cotton boosted the production of more cash crops, agricultural raw-materials for industries, export earnings and jobs opportunities for millions of Nigerians.

But the programme ‘s failure was because priority was not given to food crops. There was lack of unity. Issues of ethnicity and political differences led to disagreements that affected the programmes from becoming a success.

On its part, General Yakubu Gowon’s regime (1966-1975) came up with National Accelerated Food Production Programme (NAFPP) as an agricultural extension programme established in 1972, following the end of the Nigerian civil war. It was aimed to end the food crisis that engulfed the country at that trying time. Its failure was because the farmers who could not form co-operatives were left out.

Subsequently, Shehu Shagari’s Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) came on board. The programme, according to Elijah and Tenon relied on disbursement of credits and farm inputs through cooperative societies excluding most small-scale farmers.

The major reasons for its lack of impact included the sudden withdrawal of funding by the federal government. It also lacked farmers’ participation

As for the acclaimed farmer, General Olusegun Obasanjo, (1976-1979), in May 1976, Obasanjo launched Operation Feed the Nation, a project to revitalise small-scale farming and which involved students being paid to farm during the holidays. It was launched in order to bring about increased food production across the entire nation through the active involvement and participation of everybody in every discipline.

But it did not succeed because of the indiscriminate use of land for farming activities since most armers were very young and inexperienced. Also, hired labour was the main source of labour employed by participants. There was absence of available markets, so livestock diseases caused havoc on farms of the novice farmers bringing the beautiful dream to its end.

With the return of democratic government, Alhaji Shehu Shagari (1979-1983) introduced the Green Revolution Programme (GRP) on June 3, as a replacement for OFN. “The programme depended on the ministry-based extension system and was instrumental to raising mass awareness on the problems of food confronting the nation.

The FGN ensured the success of the programme by providing agrochemicals, improved seeds/seedlings, irrigation system, machine, credit facilities, improved marketing and favourable pricing policy for the agricultural products and encouraged farmers to produce food, cash crops, and livestock.”

According to Goodluck Jonathan, “Green Revolution and Operation Feed the Nation failed because they were not properly articulated, agricultural programmes in Nigeria just followed the political class and disappeared.”

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Coming to General Muhammadu Buhari (1983-1985) and his Back to Land (BL) programme was to revive the agriculture by encouraging Nigerians to go back to farm to reduce over dependence in oil.

But it failed with regards to poor quality of infrastructures provided by the directorate due to embezzlement/mismanagement of fund. “Lack of focus and accountability made the impact of the programme almost insignificant.”

Next came the IBB-driven Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in 1986 to achieve the objectives of its far-reaching reforms on diversification of exports and adjustment of production and consumption. SAP provided strategies on food crops, livestock, industrial raw materials, wildlife, forestry, fish production. It also provided policies on support services such as agricultural extension, technology development and transfer.

Its failure was traced to unskilled handling of water application through irrigation that degraded and depleted the soil of its productive capacity.

While the Family Support Programme (FSP) was initiated in 1994 the Family Economic Advancement Programme (FEAP) came in 1996 by General Abacha and his wife Mrs. Maryam Sani Abacha. The programme eventually culminated in the creation of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare.

The programme focused “on areas like health, education, women in development, agriculture, child welfare and youth development. They also touched on the provision of shelter for the less privileged in the society from ongoing housing programme of government”. The sudden death of Gen. Abacha limited their impact on the women and the masses.

This topic will be an ongoing one for us to learn from the mistakes of the past agricultural programs and fashion the best way forward