AGRICULTURE AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN NIGERIA - Mr. Amusat Adeniyi an agricultural Communication Specialist, presently, the head of PR unit of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training believes private organizations must be responsive…..

 Agriculture is an important sector contributing to economic growth of Nigeria as a nation.  It is through this activity that food, fibre and foreign exchange earnings are provided for individuals and the nation as the sector contributes about 40% of the total annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employs about 75% of the population, accounts for over 70% of the non-oil exports and most importantly provides over 80% of the food needs of the country .  In a nutshell, it has contributed immensely to national food security by helping to maintain a healthy and peaceful population.

Considering this crucial role in the economic growth of the country, agriculture is on a concurrent list of the constitution in which Federal, State and local governments are expected to jointly and adequately financed the sector by following Maputo Declaration.  Unfortunately, it is the federal government that takes responsibility for a major portion of the funding and policy direction while the states take responsibility for the public extension delivery at the grassroots through the Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs) domiciled at the respective states which regrettable is poorly funded. It is worthy of note that the local government authorities have not being able to make a meaningful impact also in this regard probably due to their poor funding situation and the quality of staff being available to them.

It is also very appalling to hear that Nigeria, a vast agricultural country endowed with substantial natural resources with evidence of self-sufficiency in food production and rapid economic growth of 45% annually between 1958 and 1963 through agricultural commodities export now finds herself in the group of low- Income Food-Deficit  Countries ( LIFDCs) in Africa.

This assertion was buttressed with a survey of about 1, 718 households in one of the northern states prior the introduction of National Programme for Food Security  (NPFS) where  80% of the households  were food insecure.  Conceptually, food security at the household level implies physical and economic access to foods that are adequate in quality, quantity, safety and even cultural peculiarities and acceptability to meet each person’s needs (Arokoyo,2005).

Nigeria with all her potentials in agriculture cum rural development; vast human and natural resources complemented with fifteen national agricultural research institutes saddled with different mandates ,three specialized Universities of Agriculture, over 50 faculties of Agriculture in regular Universities ,international research  organization (IITA ,ILCA) local and international intervention projects , the question now is why has Nigeria continued to remain in the company of food-deficit or food in secured  nation in Africa. In my own candid opinion, the major problem confronting agriculture and rural development is funding .The national Agricultural Research and Extension System are not adequately funded. The research institutes lack basic infrastructural facilities to work with; Electricity is a serious challenge in most of the research organizations in the country .Most of the Agricultural Development Programmes being handled the country’s extension system are in comatose as the ratio of an agent to farmers is very alarming.  Most of the extension agents are not mobile thereby short changing technology transfer to farmers at the rural levels.

The statutory operational activities of Research Extension Farmers Inputs Linkage System ( REFILS) a concept introduced to improve linkage among the stakeholders  with overall objective of increasing farmers’  productivity are no longer taking place as expected.  The monthly Technology Review Meetings (TRM) is now being held annually in some ADPs at the state levels.  An extension agent is now covering blocks instead of a cell which is supposed to be his operating area.  Farmers now meet their extension agents once in six months.  All these called for urgent attention and ingenuity on the part of the policy makers. As a trained agricultural journalist, I have taken time to study our agricultural system and resolved that social responsibility efforts of our corporations need to be looked into with a view to canvass support for improved funding of the nation’s agricultural and rural development initiatives. 

All over the world, including Nigeria, organizations are coming to term of social responsibility they can offer to assist the growth of small scales business especially farmers who are providers of food in the country as a level of support from these multinational company can go a long way in the development of rural agriculture in the transfer of improved technologies for commercial production and competitive global market. Although many of these companies in the country are now being sensitive to this responsibility while those who have not given it a thought should endeavour to join in the spirit  of ploughing back to the society. 

The question is how many companies are channeling their corporate social responsibility towards agriculture and rural development as it obvious that some of them only concentrate on show business like dancing completion rather than production oriented sector of agriculture. I am of the view that Non Governmental Organization ( NGO) ,   Professional bodies NIPR, APCON, Agricultural Extension Society of Nigeria (AESON) should encourage organizations who are involved in CSR to focus their attention on agriculture and rural development.  Farming inputs like improved seeds, seedlings, fertilizer, agro-chemicals can be packaged and distribute to farmers/interested youths in a particular community as way of motivation towards agricultural development.

Big organizations like banks, telecom industry, and breweries can engage experts who will assist them in discharging their social responsibility for the purpose of human development toward meeting the first Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of poverty and hunger eradication.  Most importantly as a way of providing more funds for the sector, government should provide a policy whereby corporate organization should be made to contribute 1% of their net profit to support agriculture.