Agriculture has the potential to reduce the high rate of poverty and unemployment in the country by providing employment to millions of Nigerians across the agriculture value chain, from production to consumption. Take cassava processing as a singular example. Nigeria is the largest cassava producer in the world.
Can Agri-agriculture help reduce poverty in Nigeria?
Agriculture has the potential to reduce the high rate of poverty and unemployment in the country by providing employment to millions of Nigerians across the agriculture value chain, from production to consumption. Take cassava processing as a singular example.
How does agricultural development reduce poverty?
According to the World Bank, China’s agricultural development was responsible for the 45 percent decline in rural poverty between the years of 1981 and 2001. The same study shows that within Africa, Ghana was able to reduce poverty rates by 24 percent over the last 15 years due to promising agricultural output.
How many people in Nigeria are living in extreme poverty?
It is estimated that 87 million out of the estimated 180 million population of Nigeria, which represents 45 per cent of Nigerians, are currently living in extreme poverty.
Is agriculture the key to reducing poverty in Nicaragua?
Miguel Adolfo Gonzalez, Nicaragua- 6 – AGRICULTURE IS THE KEY TO REDUCING POVERTY Agriculture has a key role to play in food security throughout the world and lifting people out of poverty, but at the same time there are a number of challenges to be faced.
How can agriculture reduce poverty in Nigeria?
Increased productivity of agriculture raises farm incomes, increases food supply, reduces food prices, and provides greater employment opportunities in both rural and urban areas. Higher incomes can increase the consumer demand for goods and services produced by sectors other than agriculture.
How agriculture can reduce poverty?
As their incomes grow, consumers increase their consumption of manufactured goods and services faster than their consumption of food. Paradoxically, the process is usually accompanied by rising incomes and a lower incidence of poverty among those who depend on agriculture for a living.
How does agriculture relate to poverty?
Agricultural progress is a potent force in reducing poverty in developing countries. An OECD study finds that rapid and sustainable progress to reduce extreme poverty is next to impossible except where agricultural productivity increases and incomes increase for poor farmers.
How can we eradicate poverty and development?
Priority actions on poverty eradication include:improving access to sustainable livelihoods, entrepreneurial opportunities and productive resources;providing universal access to basic social services;progressively developing social protection systems to support those who cannot support themselves;More items…
How can agriculture be a solution to the country’s problem?
In order to feed people better, agriculture must strengthen its conservation goals by adding assortment to the food chain and by restoring the ecosystems. Agriculture sector can reduce hunger as it ensures the food security of developing countries. The drive toward food security has seems to be slowed in recent years.
How does Agricultural Extension reduce poverty and increase food security amongst farmers?
Agricultural extension plays a role in improving farmers’ productivity and incomes, thereby reducing poverty and increasing food security. In the event that farmers are producing cash crops, increased productivity provides a pathway of earning income which can be utilised for food procurement (Conceicäo et al, 2016).
Why agricultural development is important?
Agricultural development is one of the most powerful tools to end extreme poverty, boost shared prosperity, and feed a projected 9.7 billion people by 2050. Growth in the agriculture sector is two to four times more effective in raising incomes among the poorest compared to other sectors.
How does agriculture promote progress and development of every country?
Agriculture plays a major role in economic growth and development. As the provider of food it is a cornerstone of human existence. As a furnisher of industrial raw materials it is an important contributor to economic activity in other sectors of the economy.
What is the role of agriculture in economic development of a developing country?
Agriculture constitutes the main source of employment of the majority of the world’s poor. In total, the share of agriculture in total employment in developing countries constitutes 53% of the total workforce in 2004. In Sub-Saharan Africa 60% of the economically active population works in the agricultural sector14.
How is poverty alleviated?
Policy Strategies First, there is a need to create enough adequately paying jobs that can support individuals and families above the poverty line. This includes initiatives such as raising the minimum wage to a living wage, increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit, and stimulating the creation of good quality jobs.
What can be done to reduce poverty in developing countries?
Some strategies that developing countries can apply to reduce both the rate of poverty and number of the poor are:3.1 Stimulating inclusive economic growth. … 3.2 Economic and institutional reforms. … 3.3 Promoting microfinance institutions and programs. … 3.4 Improving the marketing systems. … 3.5 Cash/income transfer programs.
Does development reduce poverty?
Economic growth reduces poverty because growth has little impact on income inequality. In the data set income inequality rises on average less than 1.0 percent a year. Since income distributions are relatively stable over time, economic growth tends to raise incomes for all members of society, including the poor.
How does IFDC work in Bangladesh?
IFDC is empowering women farmers in Bangladesh by introducing them to crop-boosting technologies, such as urea deep placement (UDP). Farmers insert 1 to 3 gram urea briquettes 5 to 7 centimetres below the soil surface. The practice increases yields by 15 per cent while reducing fertilizer use by one-third. Agricultural entrepreneur Hazera Begum purchased a urea briquetting machine through IFDC’s Accelerating Agriculture Productivity Improvement (AAPI) project (funded by USAID).
What is AFVP in fertilizer?
Over the past two years, the African Fertilizer Volunteer’s Program (AFVP) has called on global fertilizer industry experts willing to volunteer their time and knowledge towards strengthening the African fertilizer value chain. The ultimate goal of the program is to increase fertilizer users and usage in the continent.
Why is fertilizer important in Africa?
Improved access to fertilizer is key for improving yields, and subsequently boosting incomes in Africa, as 75% of sub-Saharan Africa’s soils are degraded. However, sub-Saharan Africa represents 10% of the total global population yet only 0.8% of total fertilizer use. Read more >>
What are the value chains of feed the future?
As USAID/Nigeria’s flagship program under Feed the Future, the project works in five value chains and two sub-value chains: cocoa, cassava, rice, sorghum, aquaculture, soybean, and maize. By putting low-cost technologies and best practices in the hands of hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers, the Chemonics-implemented project has achieved a 60 percent increase in soybean yields and added 231,823MT of cassava to the domestic food supply since FY2012, among other results. Read more >>
How does malnutrition affect Africa?
Widespread malnutrition is undermining the health and limiting the opportunities of almost one in four people in Africa. Malnutrition can impact a society as a whole, it is estimated that malnutrition can reduce a country’s economic advancement by 8 per cent or more.
How does Livelihoods help farmers?
In addition to reforesting the area, Livelihoods offers training sessions to the local communities on productive agricultural practices and how to best market and process their products. Read more >>
How many trees are planted in the Livelihoods Fund?
Now, the Livelihoods Fund is now working in the community to plant 5 million trees and crops over 20 years, which will not only improve the livelihoods of the local rural people, but also sequester an impressive 2 million tons of CO2.
What is the GDP of Africa in 2019?
In 2019, the economy of Africa grew at 3.4% with real (Gross Domestic Product) GDP growth expected to be 3.9% and 4.1% in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Does Africa have inclusive growth?
Even though economic growth has been satisfactory, only a third of African countries have attained inclusive growth that has decreased inequality and poverty. To achieve a more inclusive growth that could have an enormous impact on poverty, the African Economic Outlook report recommends the need for Africa’s agricultural sector to adopt …
How many people live in poverty in Nigeria?
It is estimated that 87 million out of the estimated 180 million population of Nigeria, which represents 45 per cent of Nigerians, are currently living in extreme poverty. Also, according to a recent report on labour force statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics, unemployment in Nigeria increased from 18.8 per cent in …
What is cassava flour used for?
It can be processed into High Quality Cassava Flour to make cakes, bread, and biscuits. It can be processed into chips usable for animal feed.
Where is cassava grown?
Nigeria is the largest cassava producer in the world. There is much to gain from knowing the value chain of cassava, starting from production, to processing, and then marketing. Cassava, just like yam, is a root and tuber crop. However, unlike yam, it can grow in relatively poor soil and in low rainfall areas.
Is cassava a biofuel?
It can be processed into ethanol, which is used as bio-fuel when combined with additives. Cassava is also processed into fructose, used in industry for sweetening fizzy drinks. Cassava can also be processed into fufu, garri, and apu, etc., for local consumption.
Why is education important for farmers?
According to the World Bank, education in rural areas is vital for agricultural development and for new farmers to learn skills relevant to emerging job markets.
Why are public investments important?
Public investments could provide the access to land and irrigation systems that are otherwise unavailable in rural parts of the country. Once resources are more readily available, productivity and market access can also increase.
Why is outside investment necessary in agriculture?
This means that outside investment is often necessary in order for a country to maintain sustainable farming rituals.
How does ECA help Africa?
However, given that the region is home to about 60 percent of the world’s arable land, the expansion of new markets and sustainable technologies proposed by the ECA can help alleviate poverty in Africa and reduce income inequality. Many of those who depend on agriculture to survive live in rural areas with little access to research and technology.
How can we reduce poverty in Africa?
Reducing Poverty in Africa Via Agricultural Development. According to the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), four out of five people in Africa depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. However, it remains the only region in the developing world to have low and declining agricultural development, with a per capita output totaling 56 percent …
Why is agricultural productivity important?
Adam Elhiraika, Director of the Macroeconomic Policy Division at the ECA, suggests that agricultural productivity must be increased and combined with practical agribusiness in order to add value to crops and improve access to markets for farmers. This value broadens economic growth and can ultimately lead to food security throughout Africa.
Why is it important to involve women in agriculture?
Despite this, women often have limited influence over decisions relating to agriculture. Therefore it is crucial to involve women in decisions relating to development and preservation of agriculture, sustainable use and equitable distribution of the natural resources from biological diver- sity. The position of poor women needs to be strengthe- ned and their knowledge, skills and experience utilised21. THE FARMERS NEED TO ORGANISE THEMSELVES The leaders of the African Union promised back in 2003 to focus more on agriculture, in the so-called Maputo Declaration. Only a handful of African countries have so far lived up to the promises made in the declaration. Politicians rarely prioritise small-scale agriculture, which is an obstacle to long-term sustainable solutions to the struc- tural problems in agriculture. Smallholders in rural areas in developing countries are also often poorly organised and marginalised. This limits their political influence and they often have little scope to demand political responsibility for the lack of investment. If the farmers were to come together in cooperatives and other types of member organisations, however, they could be stronger financially. This could make it easier to pay for investments, and give the farmers access to new markets and a stronger bargaining position in relation to large grocery chains and other buyers. Organisation also opens up opportunities for learning, training and dialogue. Poor profitability and hard manual labour mean that agri- culture today attracts ever fewer young people in low and middle-income countries. Strong farmers’ organisations and the possibilities they can offer in the form of influ- ence, access to financial services, knowledge, new income potential and social connections can help to raise the sta- tus of agriculture. SMALL INVESTMENTS CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE One way to improve the economic conditions for small- scale agriculture and rural areas would be to develop activities, including processing of foodstuffs, something that was highlighted in a report from the UN’s former Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier de Schut- ter.22One strategy to accomplish this is to focus on local investments within storage, processing, packaging and sales of the products. Simple things such as a drying plant or facilities for packing fruit and vegetables in a commercially marketable way can give smallholders new income, which yields profitability for their activities. However, small-scale farmers mostly lack access to the necessary technology, capital and financial servi- ces. Many live in remote and poor areas where lack of infrastructure and long distances to markets hamper sales and set-up of food processing activities. FAO states that farmers who have small margins often prefer to save any profits as insurance to be used in the event of a crisis rather than invest the money.23
How can Sweden make a difference in agriculture?
Here in Sweden we can make a difference, through development cooperation and by pursuing a policy for more efficient and sustainable agriculture with a diversity of crops and production methods. This type of agriculture not only produces food but also gives the farmers so much more – cleaner water, natural fer- tilisation of the soil, resistance to pests and a more balanced and varied diet. It creates work and gives families the means to provide for themselves. Some essential points for Swedish development coopera- tion are:
How much milk does a dairy cow give?
Milk represents food and nutrition – and ultimately money. An ordinary dairy cow gives five litres of milk. With a loan from ZANACO a farmer can, among other things, improve the feed and the cow’s health and increase production from five to fifteen litres.
How does agriculture help people?
Agriculture offers a number of possibilities for lifting people out of poverty and hunger, which have been described above . However, there are also a number of challenges to be faced.
How much land do women control?
Women are particularly disadvantaged with regard to access to land. According to FAO, women control around 12 per cent of the land in South and South-east Asia, 15 per cent in Sub-Saharan Africa and roughly 20 per cent in Latin America. However, these figures conceal large variations between individual countries.24
How many small family farms are there in poor countries?
There are several million small family farms in poor countries with just a few hectares each for growing crops and providing for them- selves. Support for this type of agriculture reaches many of the world’s very poorest people. • Focusing on agriculture that is sustainable and builds strong communities.
What are the services that an ecosystem provides?
Ecosystem services are the natural resources that ecosystems provide, e.g. air and water purification, pollination of crops, natural pest control and binding of carbon. In addition to the environmental aspects, sustainable development also includes a social and an economic dimension.