ABSTRACT

Nigeria is a vast agricultural country, endowed with substantial natural resources which include: 68 million hectares of arable land, fresh water resources covering about 12.6 million hectares, 960 km of coastline and an ecological diversity which enables the country to produce a wide variety of crops and livestock, forestry and fisheries products. Available statistics show that agriculture is the most important Nigerian economic sector in terms of its contribution to the GDP, after oil. The sector contributes about 41% of the country’s GDP, employs about 65% of the total population and provides employment to about 80% of the rural population. Despite the articulation of government policies, strategies and programs and the commitment of Government and donors to the broader framework of sustainable agriculture and pro-poor rural development, the rural economies of Nigeria remain underdeveloped and many complex issues regarding the design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation remain unresolved. The main concern of this study therefore is that while agriculture remains dominant in the Nigerian economy, it is unsustainable; the food supply does not provide adequate nutrients at affordable prices for the average citizen. The findings and the conclusion of the study suggested the need for the policy makers to promote agriculture to a sustainable level.