Agriculture powers all civilizations and every country intent on self-sustenance and the full realization of her inherent potentials must cease to pay lip service to agriculture.
Imagine it, nothing exists on earth today both material and immaterial that does not derive its source from the ground, industries get their raw materials therefrom, humans and animals get their food also from the ground. That is why we cannot afford to ignore that art or science of cultivating the ground, including the harvesting of crops, and the rearing and management of livestock,tillage,husbandry and farming.
Our situation in Nigeria however as far as agriculture is concerned is quite unfortunate. We have moved from net exporters of such feedstuff as palm products, groundnuts, etc to the unenviable position of world's largest importers of rice, poultry products, etc. We have descended from self sufficiency in palm produce to importation of even palm produce. The big question is; What is the bane of our agriculture? A professor of Agriculture Economics, University of Ilorin, Professor Abayomi Omotesho, has listed some of the constraints facing agriculture to include;
“declining productivity, risks associated with diversification to high
value crops, uncertain financial viability, limited access to services
and markets, environmental constraints and idiosyncratic risks like
floods and droughts.” These constraints can be summarily addressed through effective legislation. This paper examines how Nigeria can boost her agricultural production through effective legislation and calls out to our legislative arm of government to rise to the occasion.