List 10 Importance of Agriculture in Nigeria.
Agriculture (farming) is the practice of cultivating plants and rearing animals (livestock) to provide food, wool, and other products. It plays a major role in the production of food surpluses that enabled people to live in villages and cities.
Agriculture in Nigeria is a branch of the economy in Nigeria, providing employment (the main source of livelihood for many Nigerians). No doubt, the Agriculture sector contributed tremendously to overall real GDP, and It is being transformed by commercialization at the small, medium, and large-scale enterprise levels. It remains the foundation of the Nigerian economy, despite the presence of Crude oil in the country. It is the main source of livelihood for most Nigerians. The Agricultural sector is made up of four sub-sectors: Crop Production, Livestock, Forestry, and Fishing.
The total agricultural area in Nigeria is about 70.8 million hectares which is distributed among the arable land area of 34 million hectares, 6.5 million hectares for permanent crops, and 30.3 million hectares for meadows and pastures. The major crops in Nigeria are maize, cassava, guinea corn, groundnut, yam, etc, and about 60% of households practice crop farming.
List 10 Importance of Agriculture in Nigeria.
1. Agriculture is the source of the food supply
It is important to know that the major importance of Agriculture is food, Agricultural foods like cassava, yam, rice, beans, maize, millet, groundnut, etc are readily made available for consumption. It is certainly the most essential element of the global food supply. The components in your meals originated from someplace, no matter where you ate or what you ate. Humans and animals require feed, which is provided by the agricultural industry. People get milk from cows, which is a type of protective food.
2. It is a major source of clothing
Clothing’s major raw material is cotton, which is an agricultural product. Cotton is readily farmed, harvested, and processed into different materials used for clothing. This wouldn’t have been possible without Agriculture. The industry will definitely need an adequate supply of cotton as the raw material for making clothes.
3. Provision of Raw Materials for Industries
It is the major source of raw materials for businesses in Nigeria, including cotton and jute fabric, sugar, tobacco, and edible and non-edible oils. Industries need agricultural raw materials for the production of a particular product. Many processing industries, such as fruit and vegetable processing and rice husking, rely heavily on agriculture for their raw materials. Raw materials are so vital in manufacturing that a country’s economic health is largely determined by how many raw materials it has.
4. Agriculture Creates Jobs Opportunities/Employment
A lot of people in Nigeria generate direct or indirect income from agriculture, thereby becoming their source of employment. The Nigerian government through CBN and intervention by NGOs encourages a lot of young people to go into agriculture. There are some employment accessible in this industry, including those as a farmer, harvesters, agricultural equipment technicians, scientists, laborers, thereby reducing the high rate of unemployment in Nigeria. Research shows that focusing on agriculture is substantially more beneficial than spending in other sectors when it comes to decreasing poverty.
5. It contributes to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Agriculture contributes to the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nigeria. Between January and March 2021, agriculture contributed to 22.35 percent of the total Gross Domestic Product. It is also a major source of foreign exchange for the country. A large amount of what is traded worldwide is agricultural raw commodities.
6. Agriculture Contributes to Foreign Exchange Earnings
Aside Crude oil, Nigeria continues to depend on agricultural exports to generate the majority of its national revenue. Agriculture, on the other hand, contributes a lesser percentage of the national GDP to industrialized countries. While industrialized nations’ economies aren’t as reliant on agriculture as they formerly were, they would be severely harmed if all exports were abruptly halted.
7. Agriculture helps to preserve the Environment
Agriculture creates the enabling environment by the increase in biodiversity will lead to healthier soil, less erosion, better water conservation, and healthier pollinators. With the increasing rate of human activities which poses harm to the environment, Agricultural activities such as afforestation act as a check to environmental hazards such as erosion and excessive wind control. Some trees are planted as windbreaks in such areas, and some farmlands to prevent excessive erosion. Also, some species of animals would have gone into extinction if not because of wildlife conservation.
8. Improve Mechanization
Agriculture creates the enabling farm machinery for industrial goods to thrive. Agriculture is important to enrich the economy of a nation through the introduction of farm mechanization, which plays an effective role in the agriculture sector. The use of modern machinery in agricultural lands causes more high-quality production of crops, which leads to an increase in the provision of raw materials to industries.
9. Agriculture improves overall Economic Growth and Development
Agriculture helps generally to increase the Nigerian economy. Historically, Agriculture was once the major source of economic growth in Nigeria before Crude oil. However, Agriculture still contributes to Nigeria’s economic development. Nigeria’s agricultural industry is crucial to its economic prosperity because it helps employs many people. It produces rewards rapidly, and focusing on it is among the most effective strategies to accelerate growth and improve a country’s international status. As a result, it contributes to the creation of a favourable environment for a country’s overall economic development.
10. Agriculture helps improve Medicine & Herbs
It is important to know that some Agricultural plants are medicinal and are used to heal human and animal diseases. Some herbal crops part like flowers, roots, stems, leaves and seeds can be used in traditional and may be processed for industrial use. Most synthesized drugs are got from plants.
List 10 Importance of Agriculture in Nigeria.