What is Agricultural Development
Agriculture faces numerous challenges that hinder its development; some of these obstacles facing the agricultural industry include poor soil fertility management, inadequate land, inadequate farm inputs, and a shortage of agricultural extension agents. Government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and private individuals play numerous roles in addressing various challenges associated with agriculture. Their contributions ranging from policy formulations and implementation to provision of farm inputs, implementing agricultural extension projects, and facilitating training to promote agricultural development.
Agricultural development refers to multi-sectoral approaches and sustained efforts made by the government and other stakeholders to utilize the available agricultural resources within a country to improve farming practices, boost agricultural productivity and the economic well-being of farmers and its citizens.
Similarly, Agricultural development is the process of initiating policies and programmes aimed at equipping agricultural sector with the necessary technologies and improving resource management to increase productivity, efficiency, and sustainability.
Agricultural is one of the major drivers of development. Since most farming activities take place in the rural area, government and private individuals invest in rural development making life meaningful for rural dwellers. Individuals, government and spirited individuals have continue to invest in agriculture through the provision of essential amenities in these rural area such as good road network, electricity, internet services and agricultural technology which are vital for Agricultural development. Approximately 75% rural dwellers are farmers and so, development in agriculture cannot be achieved if the rural areas are not well equipped with sustainable means of livelihood.
Importance of Agricultural Development
The importance of Agricultural development in the boosting food security, and economic growth, cannot be overemphasis. Some of the vital roles played by agriculture in building resilient communities and sustainable livelihoods are discuss below
- Ensure Food Security: the implementation of farmer’s friendly agricultural policy, technology improvement and improvising of farm inputs can ensure sufficient food production and stability a particular country. Increase farm productivity in the rural area where most of these farm produce are source will lead to more investment in food production in such reduces dependence on food imports, promotes self-sufficiency and strengtheren food security.
- Provision of Employment Opportunities: in the developing country, the agricultural sector remain a major source of livelihood, employing about 75 of the populations. It is also the largest employer of women and children thereby providing resources for sustainable economic livelihoods in most country. Agricultural value chain require both skills and skill labor creating different types of opportunity. More so, Agricultural development encourages youths to participation in farming thereby discourage rural urban migration, promoting rural entrepreneurship, support agrogribusiness, and agro industries
- Drive Economic Growth: agriculture contributes immensely to gross demosticaest products (GDP) of many countries. For example In Nigeria agriculture contribute average of 22%; In Kenya agriculture contribute average of 21%; and in Ghana agriculture it is roughly contributes 20%. Beyond direct contributions Agro companies or agribusiness pay taxes to government, exports agricultural products and stimulate trade thereby helping to drives national economic growt.
- Promotes Environmental Conservation: friendly environment agricultural practices and technology emanating as are of research such integrated pest management, soil conservation and innovative agricultural technology contribute to Soil health and fertility, reduction in Co2 emissions, Conserve water and protect biodiversity and reduce the destruction of soil structure. These ensure that agricultural development does not compromise environmental sustainability.
- Improve farmers’ livelihood: Agricultural development reduces poverty and improve farmer’s means of livelihood. Better agricultural practices leads to increase yields and reduction in cost of production thereby leaving farmers with greater profits. Theses profit can invested in other area of agriculture, thereby increasing household income and improving rural economy.
- Promotes sustainable farm practices: research driving innovation, and strong agricultural policy foster sustainable agricultural farm practices. These practices improve farming operation, increase formers income, reduce poverty and enhance food security while save lives.
The Roles of Government in Agricultural Development
To ensure sustainable food security, government across the globe are making frantic efforts to formulate and implement agricultural policy that ensure agricultural development. Several policy and programme have been imitated on land reform to ensure that farmers have access to large expanse of land for farming activities and to address the problems associated with land acquisition.
In most Africa countries, where land is traditionally inherited from parent to offspring, and acquiring large expanse for large commercial farming poses significant challenges. For example, in Nigeria, the government has initiated and implemented the land use act to reduce bureaucratic bottleneck associated with land acquisition and to make land more available and accessible to all Nigeria.
Adequate policy has been implement to ensure that farmers have access to farm credits to boost food production. Several financial institutions have establish and license to support farmers with financial assistant, in cash or in kind to boost agricultural productivity. In most African countries, where agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, government has establish specialized institutions to handle various aspect of agriculture. For example, the establish of bank of agriculture to handle the provision of financial assistant to farmers, agricultural insurance bank to handle uncertainty associate with agriculture, and agricultural export promotion agency to hand import and export of agriculture commodity. These initiative is a testament to government effort in ensuring that farmers enough capital to boost farming operation.
Additionally, government have also establish agricultural programme to distribute farm inputs to farmers, and set up agricultural research institutions to develop new varieties of crops and breed of farm animals that mature early, meet consumer preferences, and are resistance to pest and diseased. Agricultural institution have set up to train agricultural extension agents on the uses of new innovations, and agricultural education has been set to teaching agriculture to students at all level of education. Continue reading on 11 roles of government in agriculture.
The Roles of Non- government Organization in Agricultural Development
Non- government organization in agriculture (NGOs), whether faith based, local or international, have played immerse role in sustain agricultural development across the various countries. They have supported agriculture development by working with relevant stakeholders including government departments and agencies, private corporations, and the rural communities. Through their provision support NGOs contributes to improvement of the quality of food, promote the economic well-being of people in rural areas and make agriculture profitable and sustainable.
NGO are in the fore agricultural development assisting by providing agricultural extension services, procurement of farm inputs for farmers, distribution of financial assistance for farmers, supporting health and social infrastructure. They also play vital in the distribution of relief materials for the victims of natural disasters and insecurity ensuring that affected community build recover and build their livelihood.
Several spirited in individual and philanthropist have investment education, health care, women’s empowerment, childcare, conservations of the environment, youth empowerment, poverty alleviation, income generating and sustainable agriculture. All these gear towards making the rural area habitable and discourage rural urban migration.
Moreover, to ensure that agriculture takes it rightful place in food production and economic growth NGOs maximize wide range of strategies such as: promotion of low input agricultural technologies, promoting of labour intensive farming methods to create jobs, collaborating with research institutions, and stakeholders, investing in land improvement and soil fertility management, ensuring land security for farmers, improvement of farmers access to market, adoption and supporting villages dwellers through community based initiatives, , adopting various extension methodologies for the transfer of technologies, promotion of farmer to farmer extension approaches, .and supporting research, training programs, and development initiative. Continue reading on the roles NGOs in agriculture.
The Roles of Agric. Extension Services in Agricultural Development
Agricultural extension agents are responsible for taking agricultural innovations and improve practices to farmers and, in turn, take the farmers’ problems to the research institutions for solution. These are individuals responsible for carrying out agricultural advisory support services to farmers. They are the major stakeholders in the agricultural sector saddle with the responsibilities of following up the whether farmers are adopting or staking to best practices in agriculture.
Agricultural Extension agents are usually the middlemen between the government and the farmers. They are usually posted closes to the farming communities where they are require to function. There has been widespread speculations about whether the agricultural extension truly exists due to the fact that they are hardly seen around farming communities. But without mincing words, the agricultural extension agents exists, but they are usually few due to government neglect in the employment of extension agents. Read the roles of agricultural extension services in agricultural development
The Roles of Animal Services in Agricultural Development.
Animal science play a crucial roles in agricultural development, from the stone age when man was a hunter, hunting for one animal to another, and to when man started the domestication of animals. This field of study has become a major sector in global agricultural development. TSome of the roles of animal science in agricultural development include.
- It equips individuals with technical skills in animal production for employment in order to earn a living and alleviate poverty.
- Training of professionals such as animal breeders, veterinary doctors, animal nutritionists, and more for the industrial sector.
- Carry out research in the industries to improve the quality and performance of farm animals, and develop.
- Effective management practices to boost the production of farm animals at various levels. continue reading on 8 roles of Animal Services in Agricultural Development
Agricultural Development and Rural Livelihoods
Agriculture serve as a major source of food, employment, and shelter, serving as a primary means of livelihood for individual who engaged in agriculture and related activities. Livelihood is defined as the resources, activities, and means of sustenance through which individuals or households secure the basic necessities required to live a meaningful and sustainable life. These basic necessities of life include food, water, shelter, and income. It also refers to the assets (natural, physical, financial, human, social, and cultural and the combination of these assets) and ways through individual or people adopt to maintain economic and socially well-being.
Through agriculture, farmers generate food, income, and shelter, which can use to acquire meaningful assets to a live a meaningful life. However, the nature of development in the urban settlement differs from that of the rural area, which influences livelihoods opportunity. In rural areas, agriculture remains the dominant means of employment and sustenance. Enabling rural dwellers to cope with real life situations.
Farmers in the rural area often have access to a large expanse of land for the cultivation of permanent crops such as mango, citrus, cocoa, oil palm, and more. These crops provide a sustainable source of income, offering livelihood opportunities not only for the present and also for the future one while contributes significant benefits to local and global economics over both the short and long term.
Beyond crop production, rural dwellers are involved in agribusiness, food processing, and related agro-allied trade activities. Such as enterprises improve household well-being by providing security, resilience, capability, and equity. Profit from the sales of these products will enable farmers to meet their fundamental needs, such as food, shelter, education, and healthcare, while simultaneously building resilience against economic, environmental, and social shocks.
Through various agriculture activities, farmers are empower to break free from the cycle of poverty, stimulate economic empowerment, and creating change through their various initiatives in different sectors, particularly in education and healthcare. Government intervention have also play critical roles in empowering rural populations, particularly women’s, by providing income opportunity and enabling them to become family breadwinner.
Rural areas thus played important roles in agricultural development and environmental sustainability, mainly in the face of climate change and changing agricultural dynamics. Capacity building initiative, and promotion of innovative and sustainable practices have helped rural communities improve their assets, adopt modern techniques, and build resilience. Special attention to women to improve through resource mobilization and asset improvement has enabled them to contribute to meaningful community livelihood
Ultimately, livelihood is truly sustainable when individuals or communities can transform these assets into viable, long-term strategies for earning a living, adapting to challenges, and ensuring intergenerational well-being.