PROBLEM AND PROSPECT OF AGRICULTURE IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF EDO STATE

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Background Of The Study

Agriculture sectors is one of the earliest sector, it starts when man has to survive as gathering of fruits and nuts. He has depended on the natural burning of the forest and water body. It is only recently as perhaps ten thousand year ago that man began to adopt and attempt to domesticate animals and plants. He began the transition from primitive hunting and gathering and the practices of animal’s husbandry and tilling of the land.

At first, he did this unconsciously but as time passed he consciously selected the better forms of animals and pants for breeding purposes. This process has to continue to accelerate to modern times and has gone so far that the common agricultural crops and animals of today are very unlike the wide forms.

Due to the majority of our farmers earning meager wages, they are unable to finance the purchase of machinery that could increase their output. Many people have also strayed from the farming practice because they believe that agriculture is just farming and is only for the lower classes of people.

In modern times men consciously selected both plants and animals according to the well-established principles of genetic inheritance and breeds form more closely adapted to his requirement.

Agriculture is a sinequanon to any economy for an economy to develop well the agricultural sector must be given a dynamic role to play. Inspite of the important role of agriculture in Edo state, the people or citizen have vague ideal that agriculture is concerned only with soil cultivation. But a more comprehensive definition according to Olyyemi (1975) defined agriculture as the cultivation of soil and the feeding and management of crops and livestock for the use of man, the disposal of those products for marketing.

In some nation, agriculture sector is give priority because it provide raw material for the industrial sector, food and meat for the development of man, food and shelter are basic necessities for human consumption are both originated from farming activities. Whether one work in secondary or territory sector, without agriculture, the final output which we rely upon cannot be achieved.

As regard to the important, agriculture provides employment opportunities to the labour for through direct employment into agricultural and interrelated industrial and manufacturing sectors. For this, sector contribute efficiently, there is need for better decision making and implementation, good management and adoption of cost production techniques distributive channels, marketing, research for better pricing system, recognition of the availability of land including soil preservation and provision of storage facilities.

Farm out become low because the system of farming still involves the use of simpler farm tools like cutlass and hoe on proper knowledge on how to apply chemicals to those crops. Capital investment is small and modern input like fertilizer and improved seeds are still not widely use by most of the farmers.

As developed and industrialized countries like United State of America, Germany, Canada, etc agriculture still ranks high in their government privities. This is so because it provides them on alternative sources of foreign reserve, as well as internal, direct and indirect economic benefits derived from balanced terms of trades with other countries.

Be that at it may, poor performance of the agriculture sector to provide adequate food for the growing population declining productivity of most exported crops which has contributed to substantial reduction in foreign exchange earning and declining condition of agricultural products to gross domestic products in the real terms.

1.2 Statement Of The Problems

Since agriculture has been crucial to the growth of Edo State's economy, there are still certain issues related to the industry's production. The way farmers produced crops and their lack of knowledge about the latest innovations in modern farming technology. Due to the use of antiquated farming tools like cutlasses, which lowers production yield, the majority of farmers continue to practice their traditional methods.

Certain farmers have become unwilling to use modern farming techniques due to cultural beliefs that if they apply the system, the crops won't thrive or the land's gods won't be pleased. As a result, they limit production to a specific area, preventing the need for expansion and resulting in low productivity.

The fact that most our farmers are low level income earners, they cannot invest on the purchase of machine that could have boost their production. Also most people are of the mind that agriculture is simply farming as a matte of fact, its meant for the low level people, this has made many of them deviate from the farming practice.

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to examine the Problem and Prospect of Agriculture in the Economic Development of Edo State. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To identify the problems facing agriculture production in Edo state.
2. To examine the role of agriculture in economic development of Edo state.
3. To suggest possible solution to the problems that have emanated.
4. To make appropriate recommendations to the farmers or modern use of farming techniques.

1.4 Research Hypothesis

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

• H₀1: Inadequate funding leads to low productivity of agriculture in Edo state.
• H₀2: Lack of proper usage of agriculture facilities such as fertilizer, chemical, etc leads to low production of agricultural development of the economy.
• H₀3: High level of illiteracy affect the role of agriculture in the economic development of the state
• H₀4: Government inability to provide incentive to farmer lead to low productivity of agriculture.
• H₀5: Conservative attitude of the farmers to adapt to modern techniques of agricultural practices lead to low agricultural productivity.

1.5 Significance Of The Study

The role of agriculture is a sinequanon in the economic development of Edo state, as a matter of fact; the importance of agriculture will be enumerated.

Agriculture provides the basic for requirement of the population. Man needs some essential nutrient for nourishment of the body growth. It also supplies many of the raw materials for industry for the manufacture of goods for the use of man.

Agriculture provides income and employment for the majority of the population. Around ninety percent (90%) of the population of West African employed in agriculture in Nigeria, seventy (70) percent of the figure are slightly below the average for the whole west Africa but even in the country, the great majority of the population depend on agriculture for income and employment.

Agriculture exports are of great importance in earning foreign exchange of the country that buy these product pay for them in their own currency.

These money got as a result of exchange of agricultural goods can be use to purchase some vital goods like capital goods which help in the economic development of the nation or state.

1.6 Scope Of The Study

This study covers the problems of agriculture in the economic development of Edo state and emphasis will be laid on some specific area of production, such as crops. Like cassava, maize, etc also animal productions like chickens, goat to mention but a few.

1.7 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, there were some problems encountered which stood as limitations to the research work. Some of the limitations include:

1. Time Constraint:

   The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.

2. Financial Constraint:

   Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

3. Initial Cooperation Delay from Respondents:

   A particular limitation of this work came as a result of the respondent refusal to offer their cooperation at the initial time they were contacted. This contributed in making the success of this research study difficult.