Impacts of Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) on Rural Dwellers in Nigeria: A Study of Isan-Ekiti

Thesis Overview

<p> <b>1. INTRODUCTION</b></p><p>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). <br></p><p>  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. <br></p><p>  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. <br></p><p> <b>1.1 Operational Definition of Terms&nbsp;</b></p><p>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. <br></p>