Mainstreaming sustainability in the Nigerian agricultural transformation agenda

Mainstreaming sustainability in the Nigerian agricultural transformation agenda
WRJAS
Mainstreaming sustainability in the Nigerian
agricultural transformation agenda
Naswem A.A.1*
, Okwoche V.A.2
, Age A.I.3
1*,2,3
Department of Agricultural Extension and Communication, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria.
Co-authors email: okwoche.victoria@yahoo.com
2
akosoiorbee@yahoo.com
3
The Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) Programme is assessed to examine its ability
to deliver the required socio-economic impact to resource-poor rural farmers that would not
put in jeopardy the welfare of future generations. The programme’s approach to fertilizers and
other inputs is examined in the light of more sensible alternatives. The heavy reliance on
chemical fertilizers and other inputs without mitigating propositions is a major flaw of the
ATA. Its ambiguity on genetically modified organism may result in the penetration of harmful
varieties into the country. It is observed that the haste to achieve spectacular targets may
have made it trade sustainability for performance. The paper also observes that the ATA
continues with the extractive orientation where the rural farmer acts as a natural resource to
be exploited to serve the purposes of the elite, as evidenced by the dominance of foreign
actors in major contracts of the ministry. The paper concludes that though the ATA makes
pronouncements on the issue of sustainability and the targeting of resource-poor farmers, its
body language seems to disagree. It is suggested that a rigorous drive to incorporate organic
fertilizers be embarked upon as part of the fertilizer policy, and more effective needs
assessment be carried out to determine the needs of the poor farmer. It is further suggested
that the government should establish a more robust partnership with universities of
agriculture and faculties of agriculture in Nigerian universities in the design and
implementation of the ATA.
Keywords: Policy, Agricultural transformation, Traditional agriculture, Sustainability, Organic
INTRODUCTION
Nigerian agriculture over the years has performed below
expectations, especially when compared to countries like
China and Malaysia which had lower annual growth rates
than Nigeria by 1960 (Figure 1). Vexatious problems
include low production, post-harvest loss and low value
addition. These problems seem to be manifestations of
the continued dominance of traditional methods of
production. For instance, 6.5 tractors per 100 sq. km of
arable land in 2000 and 2.6 tractors in 2009, compared to
Tunisia‟s 114.2 and 114.6 for the corresponding years
(World Bank, 2015).
Figure 2 shows that Nigeria trails behind countries of
Africa and other regions of the world when it comes to the
use of tractors, and expectedly has the highest reliance
on manual labour. The use of improved seed is also very
low as farmers continue to use traditional varieties
resulting in very low yields. Percentage of farmers using
improved seeds are as follows: 4.4% for rice, 7.2% for
maize, and 1.7% for sorghum (The World Bank, 2014).
*Corresponding author: Dr. Adolphus Angol Naswem,
Ph.D, Senior Lecturer, Department of Agricultural
Extension and Communication, University of Agriculture,
Makurdi, Nigeria. Email: angolnaswem@gmail.com, Tel.:
+2348065689467
World Research Journal of Agricultural Sciences
Vol. 3(1), pp. 054-059, May, 2016. © www.premierpublishers.org. ISSN: 2326-7266x
Review

Naswem et al. 054
Figure 1. Annual growth rate in agricultural yields for selected countries (1961-2008)
Source: Doreo Partners (2011)
Figure 2. Farm Power Sources (percentages) in SSA, Asia, and Latin America
Source: World Bank, 2014
The same problem can be observed in the state of oil
palm production. As a result of neglect of the sector and
non-utilization of improved technology, specifically, the
reliance on wild plants rather than plantations of
improved varieties of the crop, production of oil palm has
regressed and stagnated. The country which accounted
for 43% of world production of oil palm in the 1960s,
account for only 7% of world production today and
imported 550,000 metric tonnes (Index Mundi, 2016).
Nigeria then continues to be a net importer of produce it
is well-placed to produce. In 2000 Nigeria imported 1,
250 metric tonnes of rice, and by 2014 the figure stood at
3, 500 metric tonnes. In Figure 3 it can be seen that
Nigeria has failed to fulfil her production potential in both
food and cash crops which creates a huge deficit that
makes massive importation inevitable.
This appetite for imports was inspired by the sudden oil
wealth the country received from crude oil which led to a
near-complete neglect of agriculture. At the heart of this
neglect is the extractive mentality that has characterized
the relationship between the state and agriculture,
represented by the rural, largely resource-poor farmers.
In this relationship, the state approaches the agricultural
sector as a source of resources to be exploited and used.
Thus emphasis is often placed on agricultural output, and
the means of achieving this is the dispassionate injection
of funds, and inputs to the sector in a manner that
alienates the farmer from full participation in the
economy. In this way Nigerian agriculture has, since the
colonial times, served the elite to the detriment of the
producer. In the colonial era it was the British that
benefited from the output of Nigerian agriculture by way
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
Malaysia Indonesia Thailand Brazil Nigeria
Annual growth rates (%)…
55
20
30
25
65
78
55
30
20
30
25 25
15
35
15
60
40
50
10
7
10
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
East Africa North Africa Asia Latin America Sub-Sahran
Africa
Nigeria Tanzania
Human Power Animal Power Tractor Power

World Res. J. Agric. Sci. 055
Figure 3. Actual and Potential Yields of Selected Crops
Source: World Bank, 2014
of extremely cheap raw materials for their industries
(Mbakwe, 2015). The colonial government neglected
critical infrastructure that would have made life more
qualitative for the rural producer. Also, more significantly,
there was no vision to transform the farmer from an
illiterate, traditionalist smallholder into an informed player
in the global agricultural economy. The succeeding
nationalist governments also toed the line of the colonial
government, concentrating on the cash crops that
serviced British needs and in turn yielded foreign
exchange for government. By the time oil wealth came
into the equation, the government saw no other purpose
for the farmer except the production of „cheap food for the
teeming masses‟ a phrase that became the mantra for
stating governmental policy on agriculture during annual
budget speeches and maiden addresses of heads of
state.
The oil crisis of the early 1980s was to prove later that
petroleum was not a secure source of income, and the
government began to pay some attention to the sector.
Yet the approach continued to be extractive and
„technocentric.‟ Just like mining companies would dig the
earth and scoop the precious metals and abandon the
quarry with deep gullies, the government gets cheap food
from the rural farmers to keep the population happy and
avoid food riots, and to provide raw materials for the few
industries in operation. Some of the produce is exported
to earn foreign exchange for the government. The rural
areas which are the „quarry sites‟ are abandoned in
severe lack of basic infrastructure and services like
roads, electricity, healthcare and potable water. The
educational system in the rural areas has collapsed as
the public schools (which are poorly staffed and equipped
in the first place) and are the only options for a majority of
the farmers, remain closed for most of the year as a
result of teachers‟ strikes. This state of affairs ensures
that the generations of rural farmers are locked in a cycle
of ignorance and poverty as they labour for the benefit of
others.
THE TRANSFORMATION AGENDA
The Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) of the
Federal Government was introduced to move agriculture
from a traditional occupation to a modern business in line
with global best practices. The programme was designed
to address perceived problems of the agricultural value
chain from production through storage to marketing. Thus
the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme was designed
to deliver critical inputs to genuine farmers, as opposed
to the past practice where subsidised inputs ended up in
the hands of politicians and bureaucrats who in turn sold
same to farmers at prohibitive prices (Fertilizer Suppliers
Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN), 2012). Other aspects
of the programme cover storage, processing and
marketing of targeted crops. The ultimate goal is to
involve the farmer as an active participant in the
economy, and not just a subject of development
programmes. This programme is a very robust blueprint
for social change, and has already recorded astonishing
results in some of its targets (People‟s Daily, 2014). The
programme however, lacks sociological sensitivity given
that it is a grand social change project dealing with the
transformation of a culture of traditionalism. If the
sociological deficit is not urgently addressed, this
programme will like its predecessors benefit others at the
expense of the farmer it seeks to empower.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Maize Rice Sorghum Cassava Millet Yam Soya bean
Actual Yield

Naswem et al. 056
The ATA also depends on massive deployment of
technology and demands a new way of thinking which
requires a certain level of human capacity to succeed.
The majority of Nigerian farmers do not possess this
capacity. Illiterate traditionalists are known to resist
change, sometimes even when the change were
demonstrated to be superior to their current practices
(Pandey, 2008; De Wet, 2013). Farmers who approach
farming as a way of life may not possess the capacity to
become commercial entrepreneurs overnight. They
require a programmed retraining to adjust their mindset
from subsistence orientation to commercial-investment
orientation. The assumption that farmers would act
rationally in the economic arena and transform into
modern businessmen fails to recognize their limitations in
a changing business environment where advanced
information communication technology, and complex
networks determine business success. The limitations of
the farmer are both attitudinal and technical, and need to
be addressed before any meaningful transformation
could take place on an enduring basis.
MAINSTREAMING SUSTAINABILITY IN ATA
One pertinent problematic that the ATA raises is that of
sustainable development. Students of development have
gravitated toward the notion that developmental goals
must be pursued in such a manner that the basic needs
of present generations are adequately met without
jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs (Elliot, 2006). The way the ATA is configured
presently may negatively impact on agricultural practices
of future generations. We shall now consider some of the
aspects of the ATA where sustainability needs to be
mainstreamed.
GROWTH ENHANCEMENT SUPPORT SCHEME
(GESS): UNSUSTAINABLE CHOICES FOR INPUTS
GESS, the fertilizer policy of the ATA focuses on
chemical fertilizers which have been associated with
serious harmful effects on both humans and the physical
environment (Anitha Kumari, 2014). The chemicals in the
fertilizers could seep into the underground water systems
and contaminate them, while some residues of these
substances are found in the crops on which they have
been used. Consuming these crops could pose serious
health dangers. Even though it may not be feasible to
altogether do away with chemical fertilizers, organic
fertilizers could be promoted as an alternative. The use of
organic fertilizers will be beneficial in several ways. First,
given the sheer volume of organic waste generated in the
urban areas with attendant problems of waste
management, organic fertilizers produced from such
waste could contribute to more effective waste
management and minimise the health hazards posed by
the waste dumps that litter the urban areas (de la Cruz et
al., 2006). A more aesthetically appealing environment
will result from such an endeavour.
Secondly, organic fertilizers do not contain harmful
chemicals like their chemical counterparts, and result in
crops that are less harmful to humans. Their negative
impacts on the environment are also less. Thirdly, it
would to a large extent address the problem of access
because even resource-poor farmers generate waste in
the form of plant matter discarded after harvest, and
domestic waste from processed foodstuff and animal
droppings. These can be composted and used to fertilize
farms. This should reduce the farmers‟ total dependence
on chemical fertilizers and save critical resources that
can be channelled into other productive and welfare
needs.
GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS (GMOS) AND
THE ATA
One of the highest points of technological advancement
this century is the genetically modified organisms
technology, which in contrast to conventional breeding
makes it possible for new varieties of crops to be
produced through the combination of genes from different
species (Ilori, 2014). GMO technology is in its
evolutionary stages and is a subject of much controversy.
Its advocates consider the great potentials it offers in
addressing the issues of food security especially in the
developing world. The opponents of the technology point
to the uncertainties surrounding its safety for human
consumption. According to (Aniebo, 2014) „the few
scientific researches done on the effects of these foods
on humans have showed stunted growth, impaired
immune systems, bleeding stomachs, abnormal and
potentially pre-cancerous cell growth in the intestines,
impaired blood cell development…‟ Furthermore, the
author asserts that repeated use of GMO seeds could
lead to the emergence of super weeds that require higher
amounts of glyphosate which is proven to present serious
organ damage when accumulated in the system.
GMOs also portend serious threats to bio-diversity. This
is because large scale cultivation of crops tendsto impact
negatively on biodiversity as farmers tend to abandon
species that may not yield as much as novel introduced
varieties (Gertsburg, 2011). Transgenic crops may also
tinker with the „fitness of other species, population
dynamics, ecological roles, and interactions, promoting
local extinctions population explosions, and changes in
community structure and function inside and outside
agroecosystems (Gertsburg, 2011). Furthermore, the use
of glyphosate has led to the development of super-weeds
that are resistant to herbicides, and insect pests that are
also resistant to pesticides, with still others going extinct.
On the socio-economic level, GMO technology is
currently structured to promote the enslavement of the
helpless resource-poor farmer. This happens because

World Res. J. Agric. Sci. 057
the farmer is made to depend on the large transgenic
corporations for their seed stock. It is reported that
GMOs have been linked to the suicides of 300,000 Indian
cotton farmers. The leading GMO company in the world,
the Monsanto Corporation introduced the Bt-cotton
variety with claims of performance that turned out to be
false (African Health, 2014).
Unlike indigenous cotton varieties Bt-cotton cannot be
intercropped. Intercropping is an effective strategy
employed by resource-poor farmers to maximize the yield
from fast-depleting land resources. for most farmers
adopting such GMO crops would place their livelihoods at
risk. It has also been reported that Bt-cotton claim to
pest-resistance was false as it has created new pests
that require higher quantities of pesticides to control.
According to the report Monsanto claimed bt-cotton
would yield 1500 kg/year whereas in reality it yielded
300-400 kg/year. Farmers who believed these claims and
invested borrowed funds in GMO seeds and herbicides,
lost their investments because of the disappointing yields
(African Health, 2014).
The ATA does not take a clear stand on GMOs when
countries like Japan, France, Italy, Germany and Russia
have banned the cultivation of GMO crops in view of the
uncertainties associated with the GMO technology
(Walia, 2015; Sustainable Pulse, 2016). Vice-President of
Monsanto was reported to have announced that the
company will be involved in the production of maize,
soybean, cotton and oil-grape seed production in Nigeria.
Already three genetically modified crops are being tested:
Bt-cowpea and African bio-fortified sorghum in Zaria; and
Cassava Plus in Umudike (Ezezika and Dall, 2012).
However, the Minister of Agriculture has been denying
the existence GMO in Nigeria. Furthermore, the bio-
safety bill being promoted by the minister by the
admission of the Chairman of Senate committee on
Science and Technology was aimed atenabling„Monsanto
and other countries to come to Nigeria to assist us in
boosting agricultural production not only in food but also
in area of cotton, cowpea and maize and tomatoes‟
(African Health, 2014). A regulatory instrument is
expected to be impartial, and not an advocate for certain
interests. In this regard the Nigerian Bio-safety Bill has
failed the integrity test.
The GMO technology is not without its advocates.
Several advantages have been associated with it apart
from the main argument that it could address food and
nutritional insecurity. For instance, Thomson (2016)
believes that GMO technology would lead to the
reduction in labour needed on the farm. Another selling
point of the technology is the hope it holds out for the
resolution of the effects of adverse effects of climate
change (Weiser, 2016). A more realistic approach to
GMOs would be to keep it in view for the moment, given
its potential to address food insecurity. More research
could yield credible answers to the major concerns
voiced by opponents of the technology (Elliot and Madan,
2016)
THE SOCIOLOGICAL DEFICIT AND THE BRETTON
WOODS MENTALITY
The ATA, though technically sound in its conception,
design and implementation, manifests little sociological
input which is critical for the success of such a project.
This deficit manifests in the top-down approach to the
GESS input distribution which government officials
celebrate with glee. Farmers were not consulted in the
design of the scheme and unilaterally the number of bags
of fertilizers allocated to each farmer was pegged at 2
which the farmers have complained to be too small. A
proper needs assessment could have yielded the true
needs of the farmers and taken care of their interests
better. The ATA is a large-scale attitude and behaviour
change project that with sufficient sociological input
would have prepared the local farmers for the change of
mentality from farming as a way of life to farming as a
business. The adoption of the liberal capitalist business
model foisted on illiterate farmers who are ill-prepared to
engage the global market economy, will only see them
operating at the fringes to the advantage of the capitalist
elite that has continued to exploit the farmer since
colonial times.
The capitalist model promoted by the Bretton Woods
institutions is driven by profit as an objective and serves
the interests of the rich and powerful in a globalized
world. The heavy capital investment in various aspects of
the ATA through its Public Private Partnerships can only
serve the interests of the large corporations like
Monsanto, Syngenta and Dangote. Major contracts for
the supply of equipment under the ATA go to foreign
companies. Universities of Agriculture and agricultural
faculties in Nigerian universities have not been
challenged to supply the needed technologies for the
realization of the agenda. It is true that experts from
these institutions are involved in their individual
capacities, but this is not enough. These institutions
ought to have supplied the technologies for the agenda to
be successful. Relying on foreign technology would
certainly not make for a sustainable success. It would
replicate the scenario where Nigeria‟s economic fortunes
in oil are tied to external actors.
CONCLUSION
The agricultural transformation agenda is technically well
planned and appears to be meeting set targets. However,
the benefits of the programme to resource-poor farmers
is likely to be marginal, given the fact that no proper
sociological needs assessment was carried out prior to

Naswem et al. 058
the design and implementation of the programme. Also
several sustainability issues have been glossed over by
the programme. These include the focus on chemical
fertilizers to instead of organic ones, the double-speak on
GMOs and the lack of synergy with universities. To
ensure the sustainability of the programme, the following
have been recommended
Sociologists should be commissioned to carry out
comprehensive needs assessment to determine the felt
needs of the resource-poor farmers in order to factor in
their needs and to avoid excluding them. It would also be
helpful to carry attitude and behaviour change efforts to
promote the change of mentality of the farmers.
. In view of the harmful effects of chemical
fertilizers, organic fertilizers should be promoted
i. The Federal Government should enact laws
prohibiting the cultivation of GMOs in Nigeria given the
uncertainty that surrounds their safety for human health.
ii. Nigerian universities should be challenged and
empowered to provide the bulk of the technology used in
the various aspects of the ATA.
iii. Nigerian companies should be given bulk of the
contracts under the ATA.
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Accepted 18 May, 2016.
Citation: Naswem AA, Okwoche VA, Age AI (2016).
Mainstreaming sustainability in the Nigerian agricultural
transformation agenda. World Research Journal of
Agricultural Sciences, 3(1): 054-059.
Copyright: © 2016 Naswem et al. This is an open-
access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted
use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original author and source are cited.

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