Agricultural sector of the Nigerian economy has been adjudged as capable of being the greatest Gross Domestic Product earner as it used to be in the pre and immediate post-independence years. The discovery of oil has led to the neglect of the sector such that it currently provides employment for a paltry 35% of the population as at 2020.
As reported by the FAO, agriculture remains the foundation of the Nigerian economy, despite the presence of oil in the country. It is believed that the best and quickest route to economic development is the agricultural path as that is the area of the country’s comparative advantage. There have been quite a number of initiatives by successive governments to develop agriculture.
Nigeria’s small farms holdings produce 80 percent of the total food and 33 percent of this country’s land is under cultivation for this purpose. Beyond these small holding farms, there are quite big mechanized farms, which produce essentially for export.
Promising as the agriculture sector is, the youth are mostly reluctant to embrace it because of the tediousness of small holding farming and huge capital required for mechanized farming. However, some daring Nigerians have ventured into agriculture and agribusinesses and have good stories to tell.