ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

The  study  assessed  Local  Government  agricultural  activities  in  Rivers  State,   Nigeria. Specifically, the study was designed to: identify the types of agricultural activities  implemented; ascertain  level  of  local  participation  in  agricultural  activities;  ascertain  perceived  benefits  of agricultural activities; assess status of agricultural funding for  agricultural development;  identify areas  of  linkages  between  LG  and  agricultural  agencies  and  ascertain  factors  inhibiting  LG executing agricultural activities. Eighteen communities from nine Local Government Areas (LGAs) were selected by multi-stage sampling technique from the twenty three LGAs in the state. A total of two hundred and seven (207) respondents made up the sample size for the study. Questionnaire and interview schedule were the instrument used for data collection. Data collected were analyzed using frequency, percentage,  chart, mean statistics and factor analysis. Socio economic attributes (age, sex, educational  level, occupation,  income, etc) on participation  was ascertained  using multiple regression.. The hypothesis was tested at 5% level of significance Findings revealed that 37.1% of the LG  staff, 30.6% of households’  heads were within the age range of 40-49 years, majority (74.1% and 66.7%) of the LG staff and households heads, respectively were married. All (100%) of the LG staff were educated while 81.4% of the households were educated and the main occupation of LG staff was civil service while half (50.3%) of the households  heads  depended mainly on farming. Building of market ranked first (1st) as the dominant  agricultural  activity followed  by fisheries sub-sector and establishment of poultry farms that ranked second and third, respectively. Local  people  participated  at  the  implementation  (50.0%)  stage  of  agricultural  activities,  10% participated at the planning stage and 3.3% participated at the diagnostic stage. Poverty reduction (M=3.17),   reduced   rural-urban   migration   (M=   3.06),   increased   employment   opportunities (M=3.14), provision of raw materials for local industries (M=3.02), increase food supply (M= 3.10) and increased interest in agriculture  (M=3.13) were  perceived  benefits of agricultural  activities. Khana was the LGA that spent the highest (6.37%) (N600000) on agriculture from a mean annual allocation of N6.9m. Linkages existed between LG and Agricultural Development Project (ADP) (M=2.62), International Fund for Agricultural Development (M=2.55), and FADAMA III (M=2.62) in the areas of joint use of  farmers,  joint use of staff and joint funding of project.  Corruption (M=2.58), non- continuity of projects (M=2.54), politicizing of selection of participants (M=2.37), poor interest of the community people (M=2.23) and low budgetary allocation (M=2.78) were seen as  inhibiting factors to LG administration implementing agricultural activities. There was a significant (p<0.05) influence of socio economic attributes (education, occupation and income) of households on participation.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0       INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background information

Local  Government  (LG)  administration  brings  government  closer  to the  people;  it  takes governance to the door steps of the people. It is a sub-unit of government controlled by a Local Council which is authorized by the central government to pass ordinances having local application, levy  taxes  or exact  labour  within  limits  specified  by the  LG  edict  (Ola,  1984;  Ugwu,  2000). According to the 1976 Guidelines,  LG is defined as a legally established  representative  council empowered to initiate and direct the provision -of services and to determine and implement projects so as to compliment  the activities of the State and Federal  Governments.   Adamolekun  (1983) reaffirms that LG is a subordinate  system of  government that has both legal and constitutional power to perform certain legislative, administrative and quasi-judicial functions. It is the smallest unit of governance and the aim is to serve the people in rural areas (Akpan, 1988;  Agbakoba & Ogbonna, 2004).   Its closeness to the local populace enables it to perform special functions and services, which bother on the interests and aspirations of people in rural areas (Adamolekun, 1979; Olanipekum, 1988).

The  history  of  LG  system  in  Nigeria  dates  back  to  the  colonial  days.  The   Colonial Administration that was established was based on indirect rule. This requires that the administration should be carried out through traditional rulers and institutions. This led to  the  establishment of native authorities in their most rudimentary forms from the 1890s to the 1930s (Orewa & Adewumi, 1983). The main function of the native authorities was to maintain law and order. This was easily done in Northern Nigeria but there was a problem in identifying who those  authorities  were in Southern Nigeria. This necessitated the first reforms in the 1930s and the 1940s culminating in the establishment of Chiefs-In-Council and Chiefs-And-Council in place of sole native authorities (Ola, 1984; Lawal, 2000). In the years 1950-55, the first largely elected local government council based on the British Whitehall model emerged in Lagos and the former Eastern and  Western regions. However,  in  Northern  Nigeria,  the  changes  were  more  gradual  (Igbuzor,  2002).  .  The  legal framework for local government at this period was provided by the Eastern region LG ordinance of 1950, the Western region LG law of 1952 and the 1954 Native Authority law in Northern Nigeria. By this time, the Councils were given wider range of functions including primary education, health, police, and judiciary among others. It could    be said that the 1950s was the era of pupilage for Councils in modern local government throughout Nigeria (Igbuzor, 2002).

The  1999  Constitution  reform  provided  for  a  democratically  elected  local  government council in section 7 of the Constitution.  The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides in Part 11, Section 7(1)-(6) for the establishment of the LG  system as the third tier of government in Nigeria. The section goes further to provide for powers, functions, composition and finances of the LG council to be established thereof. . It is meant to undertake functions like the provision, establishment and maintenance of slaughter houses/ slab, markets, gardens, parks as well as participation in the development of agriculture and natural resources as contained in the fourth schedule section 7, of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic Nigeria. Apparently, the three levels of government  exist as partners,  working in synergy for accelerated  development  of the nation. With a predominantly rural population, agriculture apparently should be the major focus of a majority of the LGs.

Agriculture  contributes  41.5% to the nation’s gross domestic  product (GDP).  It  remains significant in the exercise of economic development, providing employment to about 70% of the nation’s labour force and also raw materials for some factories and industries  (Ekpo & Olaniyi, 1995; Arowolo, 2008; Ibe, 2011). From 1970 to about 2005, agriculture declined in its importance because of the diversification into oil prospecting. As agriculture was neglected, rural people could not do much to boost production and increase economic earning; hence poverty level  increased culminating in lower standard of living. Food importation  increased at  unprecedented  rate (Ibe, 2011). Global economic recession and oil glut of the eighties; fluctuating oil prices which resulted sometime  in  lower  earnings  and  increased  food  imports  bills  with  diminished  foreign  reserve catalyzed   government   action   in  rediscovery   of  the  importance   of   agriculture   in  national development.  These  include  food  security,  employment  generation,  economic  empowerment, poverty alleviation and industrialization  as well as  rural development and national development. However, there are many signs that agriculture is regaining its past glorious importance (Manyong, Ikpi, Olayemi & Yusuf, 2005). The country is now the largest producer of cassava roots and yam tubers and a major producer of livestock and soyabeans products in Africa. The share of agriculture in real GDP has been increasing  since 1995 and the annual growth of the sector has surpassed population growth in recent years (Manyong, Ikpi, Olayemi & Yusuf, 2005). More importantly, the agricultural sector is receiving the expected attention from policy makers, which is manifested in several new presidential initiatives, for example in the area of cassava and rice production From that  point, government  formulated  various  agricultural  policies,  created  some  programmes  and institutions  to  enhance  agricultural  development  and  production.  A  typical  example  is   the Agricultural  Transformation  Agenda  (ATA)  initiative  of  the  Federal  Government  under  the leadership of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and Professor- as Minister of Agriculture. ATA was established to curb unemployment and poverty by harnessing the enormous opportunities and potentials  in  agriculture  to  create  employment   opportunities,   increase  rural  income  ensure sustainable economic growth and development and increase foreign reserve for the nation.

The three tiers (Federal, State and LG) of government were expected to drive government policies and programmes in agricultural and rural development. Some of such programmes include;

Operation Feed the Nation (OPN), Green Revolution (GR), and Directorate for Food and  Rural Infrastructure (DFFRI), including the Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) in  which the Federal, State and Local Governments are stakeholders. However, LG were also expected to initiate and develop their models, programmes and activities and execute them in their domain. As would be expected, some LG in Rivers State took up the gauntlet of  carrying out various agricultural activities such as agricultural credit scheme, establishment  of poultry, fishery and cassava farms and building of markets towards the development of agriculture while others were yet to invest in agricultural development. However the content, quality or scope, as well as the types of agricultural activities carried out would have be  determined by age of the LG administration.  Some of the agricultural activities initiated by  LG administration  could have direct bearing on the life of the rural populace to the extent of uplifting their standard of living.

However, there is the need for rural dwellers to participate in agricultural development. Rural dwellers participation in development is the involvement of the broad mass of the population in the choice, execution and evaluation  of programmes/  projects designed to  bring about a significant upward movement in their levels of living (Lisk, 1985 cited in Nwachukwu, 2008). In the past, and in some obvious cases, development projects have been planned and executed without involving the intended beneficiaries (Gajanajake, 1993; Nwachukwu, 2005). It has been recognized that when the people  are involved  in identifying  their problems,  planning  for the solution  and executing  the project, satisfaction is usually achieved and the sustainability of the project is ensured.  Nwachukwu (2008) identified  seven  types of participation  namely;  passive,  self- mobilized,  interactive,  and consultative.  Including  material  incentive  induced,  manipulation  and  functional.  Among  these, interactive  participation  allows  beneficiaries  of  project  to  actively  interact  with  the  project providers. There is a joint analysis of the situation which leads to the identification of problem and the action plans to resolve the problem. People are allowed to determine what their problems were, what they want and how the problems will be solved.

1.2      Problem statement

Local government has the highest interaction in governance of local communities and the people. It provides the platform through which the people are represented in government  at the State and Federal levels. It is created to meet the peculiar needs of the people at the grassroots. This is very important because every community has its peculiar characteristics, culture, needs and value system that differentiate it from another community. This is true even in Rivers State.

The  development  of  agriculture  and  natural  resources  is  one  of  the  functions  of  LG administration.  Therefore the development and sustainability of the sector (agriculture),  which is the main source of income to the rural people, should be of utmost priority to the LG. Any effort the LGs put in the sector, will not only improve  the lives of the people in their  domain,  but will increase the revenue base of the LG and also ensure food security in Nigeria and Rivers State in particular. Worst still, food production has dwindled as population is increasing, pressure on land is increasing and some farm hands have migrated to the cities for greener pasture which has affected the yield of agriculture and the rural areas (Ibe, 2011).

To this effect, in the annual budgetary proposal in the State, agricultural development usually features  prominently.  The budget  proposal  forms the basis for implementation  of  programmes, projects and activities. Implementation of agricultural development activities is usually tied to the budget and availability of funds from anticipated sources in the budget. It is therefore the amount of money allocated to the agricultural sector that would be spent to carry out agricultural development programmes  and activities  by the LGCs.  For instance,  the total  budgetary  allocation  made  for agricultural development by the Rivers State Government from 2005 to 2010 was about Eighteen Billion (N18b) Naira only, which was approximated to Two Billion Eight Hundred Million (N2.8b) Naira only each year.   In 2005, the State Government allocated  N9,250,896,251  for agricultural development  which  resulted  to a   plantain  output  index  of  44.  In 2010,  N2,703,750,000  was allocated and the index of plantain output decreased to 41. There was a deficit of 3 (Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, 2010). This implies that the  more funds are allocated to the agricultural sector,  the  greater  the  output.    The  amount  allocated  was  also  used  to  implement  various agricultural  activities  such  as building  of  markets  to  serve  as access  route  where  agricultural produce will be sold and provision of improved planting materials to help farmers increase their yields. Other activities include the  training of youths in agriculture, giving of credits to farmers, encouraging  cooperatives  among  farmers,  engaging  in  establishment  of  poultry,  fishery,  and cassava farms.

The purpose  of Federal,  State and LGAs implementing  these agricultural  activities  is  to develop the agricultural sector. In order to reduce the cost of food and ensure food security, provide employment for its rural populace especially the teeming youths and to reduce poverty among its rural populace. However, the cost of food is increasing every the day. The State still depends on the eastern and northern part of the country for the supply of major food crops like yam, rice, and even cassava  (garri).  The  unemployment  rate  in  the  state  is  very  high  (National  Directorate  of Employment  (NDE), 2013), youths have not developed  interest in agriculture.  They still prefer white color jobs to farming and poverty is prevalent at the rural areas. This has necessitated the need to undertake the study to assess why the expected results from agricultural development have not been achieved in the State.

It is therefore the purpose of the study to assess the impact of the LG agricultural activities on their catchment areas and to establish whether the objectives set out by them in carrying out were achieved. The following questions may therefore be raised.   What are the status of  agricultural activities executed by LGC, their content and quality? Were the people for whom the agricultural activities intended for part of it, in planning and implementation and at what level? What are the benefits of the agricultural activities on the lives of the local people? Has agricultural development been in the annual budget of the LGAs? If yes, what is the budgetary allocation for the past five years and what percentage?  Was the fund allocated  fully applied?  Are there any linkages with external  bodies  and  in  what  areas?      What  are  the  factors  militating  against  execution  and implementation of agricultural activities by LGCs?

1.3 Purpose of the study

The general objective of the study was to assess Local Government agricultural activities in

Rivers State, Nigeria.

Specifically, the study was designed to:

1.    determine status of agricultural activities implemented by LGAs in the         state;

2.   ascertain level of participation of  rural households in agricultural activities implemented;

3.   ascertain perceived benefits of agricultural activities on rural dwellers;

4.  assess status of funding (budgetary allocation and actual) for agricultural sector by LGAs from 2005 to 2010;

5.  identify linkages that exist between LGs and the State, international agencies, NGOs and   other agricultural agencies; and

6.  ascertain factors inhibiting LG administration in executing agricultural activities in the state.

1.4    Hypotheses of the study

One null hypothesis was formulated to guide the study. They include:

Ho1:    Households’   participation   in   agricultural   development   programmes/projects    is   not significantly  influenced  by  socioeconomic  attributes  of  farmers  (such  as  income,  age, educational attainment, occupation and marital status).

1.5      Significance of the study

Local government is the closest level of government that should bring development to the masses  as  well  as  educate,  socialize  and  to  carry  out  some  services  in  health,  agricultural development, among others. The assumption that agriculture is an occupation where over 70% of the rural populace is engaged as a source of livelihood should propel the LG administrators to be more involved in its promotion and development.

The  result  of  this  study  would  help  researchers,   Federal,  State  governments   and   all stakeholders   to  know  the  level  of  commitment   shown  by  the  LGs  in  discharging   their responsibilities in agricultural development. It would also assist the Local Government to identify weaknesses,  problems,  loopholes,  including  evaluation  of approaches  and types  of  agricultural activities that should be implemented for maximum output and benefit of the  people. The study would enlighten stakeholders on LG effort towards agricultural development and would present a raw  score  card  for  assessment  of  local  government  effort  in  agricultural  development.  The importance of local people participation and benefits from agricultural activities should be foremost consideration of any government agency or NGOs before initiating, planning and implementation of their activities.

Result of the study will assist the government and other stakeholders in formulating policies that will bring about sustainable development of agriculture. Also, all stakeholders shall be able to evaluate the success of and achievement of the agricultural activities vis-a- vis participation or mass mobilization and benefits to the people. Finally, it will help LGs keep abreast of challenges in the development of the agricultural sector and how to surmount them.

₦5,000.00 – DOWNLOAD FULL PROJECT DOWNLOAD FULL PROJECT Added to cart

---

---

---

---

Related Project Topics :