- Project Papers and NotesMalnutrition rates among children 0 to 36 months and women of reproductive age in Nigeria are high and vary significantly across rural-urban locations, geopolitical zones, and agro-ecological zones, thereby constituting a significant public ...
- Project Papers and NotesLow fertilizer use is one of the many reasons for low agricultural productivity in Nigeria. Fertilizer use estimated at 13 kg/ha in 2009 by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), is far lower than the 200 kg/ha ...
- Project Papers and NotesThe Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) includes a target of 6 percent annual agricultural growth, supported by the allocation of at least 10 percent of the national budget for agriculture. The Nigerian government has set ...
- Project Papers and NotesThe majority of Nigeria’s smallholder farmers are often too poor to employ modern tools, such as tractors and plows, even with substantial government support. In this respect, an agricultural mechanization policy would need effective targeting ...
- Project Papers and NotesAround the world, it is recognized in agricultural production and processing that energy (farm power) is perhaps the second most important input besides land). Yet the agricultural sector in Nigeria has access to less than one percent of the ...
- Project Papers and NotesDespite many efforts to ease Nigerian farmers’ access to quality and affordable fertilizer, it remains a key challenge for Nigerian agricultural policymakers As a result, the Nigerian government is experimenting with implementing a fertilizer ...
- Project Papers and NotesThe importance of agriculture in Nigeria’s economy cannot be understated. Farming and livestock rearing is the main livelihood for over 70 percent of households in the country. In 2008, agriculture contributed 42 percent of the country’s GDP, ...
- Project Papers and NotesAgriculture is the principal source of food and livelihood in Nigeria, and employs nearly three-quarters of the nation’s work force. Over the past two decades, agricultural yields have stayed the same or declined. Although there has been a ...
- Project Papers and NotesNigeria’s efforts to decentralize its government system are aimed at improving service delivery. However, access to important social and economic services remains limited, especially for rural populations. The deficiencies in service delivery ...
- Project Papers and NotesThe substantial differences in agricultural productivity between Asia and Africa can be largely explained by differences in use of modern inputs. The evidence suggests that better access to infrastructure (such as roads and irrigation) and ...
- Project Papers and NotesDemand patterns for improved seed vary significantly among individual farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa because of the different capacity of farmers to overcome various constraints. Understanding these differences is crucial for speeding up the ...
- Project Papers and NotesSmall-scale private irrigation (SPRI) schemes make up much of the irrigated areas in Nigeria. These irrigated areas, though, are only about three percent of the cultivated area in the country. Constraints on SPRI expansion are investigated by ...
- Project Papers and NotesAvailable evidence suggests an ageing farming population in Nigeria, with an average age of 47 years and life expectancy at 47-50 years in 2008 (NBS 2008, Oboh et al., 2009). In 2009, the national unemployment rate was 19.7 percent with the youth ...
- Project Papers and NotesMuch of Nigeria’s recent economic growth can be attributed to its non-oil economy—primarily agriculture. But the recent agricultural growth has been driven mainly by expansion in areas planted while productivity has remained flat or declining. ...
- Project Papers and NotesNigeria’s economic performance since 2002 has improved, with growth averaging about 7.3 percent during 2002–07 (Global insight 2008). While the production of cassava, rice, and maize has responded to the associated improved policy ...
- Project Papers and NotesMalnutrition is widespread in Nigeria, especially in rural areas. Nigerians are vulnerable to chronic food shortages, erratic supply, poor quality food, and fluctuating food prices. The huge investment in ensuring food and nutrition security for ...
- Project Papers and NotesThe timely availability of seeds at planting time is considered one of the important factors for faster improved seed adoption in Nigeria. There is a lack of empirical information on how much more farmers are willing to pay (WTP) for seeds at ...
- Project Papers and NotesPoverty remains entrenched in Nigeria, where 70 percent of the rural population lives below the poverty line. In response, the Nigerian government launched the Second National Fadama Development Project (Fadama II) in 2005. Based on the ...
- Project Papers and NotesIn Nigeria, women are often marginalized in their access to economic, political, and social resources compared to men, rendering them relatively poorer than their male counterparts. Important differences also exist between women and men in their ...
- Project Papers and NotesUnder the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA), the government of Nigeria is implementing a new fertilizer program in which the government will withdraw from fertilizer marketing and distribution to promote the development of the private ...
- Project Papers and NotesFarmer cooperatives are viewed as mechanisms to help improve the marketing environment for poor rural farmers faced with limited and uncertain consumer demand for the goods they produce. Cooperatives can help reduce production costs by organizing ...
- Project Papers and NotesWhen there is disconnect between research and policy, high quality research-based information can be produced without impact on policy dialogue and action. This often results in policy actions lagging far behind scientific and academic knowledge, ...
- Project Papers and NotesAn agricultural system consists of production, processing, storage, marketing, extension, research, and training. While production is a result of land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship, its magnitude and efficiency from the farm to the ...
- Project Papers and NotesIn Nigeria, conventional financial institutions serve only about 35 percent of the active population, and the poor, especially women, have limited access to financial services. Private sector-led microfinance institutions (MFIs) are increasingly ...
- Project Papers and NotesThe majority of farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) lack the means to mitigate the impact of risks associated with rainfall and commodity prices due to financial constraints and the imperfect insurance markets in these countries. Because most SSA ...
- Project Papers and NotesMost of Nigeria’s poor reside in rural areas and gain their livelihood from agricultural work. If the government’s poverty reduction goals are to be achieved, Nigeria will need an adequate level of strategically targeted investments ...
- Project Papers and NotesNigeria is the world’s largest cassava producer and Africa’s largest rice importer. The government and private sector should figure out ways to enhance cassava’s competitiveness in the international market and improve the efficiency of domestic ...
- Project Papers and NotesIn spite of Nigeria’s abundant natural and human resource endowment, poverty remains pervasive, multifaceted, and chronic. Given the most recent data available, it is estimated that approximately 69 million (or 54.4 percent) Nigerians lived in ...
- Project Papers and NotesPublic-private sector dialogue in Nigeria’s economic policymaking process is fragmented and unstructured. As a result, the private sector has moved to organize itself around trade groups, which have the tendency to seek self-interest. Advocacy ...
- Project Papers and NotesThe important role of credit in agricultural enterprise development and sustainability has prompted the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) to establish credit schemes such as the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme (ACGS) and Agricultural ...
- Project Papers and NotesDesigning agricultural strategies requires an understanding of the options for dealing with growth in the sector, its impact on targeted beneficiaries, and the investment required to achieve the growth. IFPRI’s recent study identified ...
- Project Papers and NotesEvidence-based policymaking relies on findings from research and analysis. The availability of information and data is the foundation for sound policy advice, but developing countries lack access to the timely knowledge and data fundamental for ...
- Project Papers and NotesAgriculture remains a major sector for the Nigerian economy. The majority of Nigerians rely on agriculture for their livelihood. It is increasingly evident that improved agricultural development and growth can offer a pathway from poverty, but ...
- Project Papers and NotesSmall-scale private irrigation schemes (SPRI) have been the major driving force behind the expansion of irrigated areas in Nigeria, despite government efforts to promote large scale public irrigation schemes. SPRI allows adjustment of irrigation ...