ABSRACT

There is a global concern about food security as a critical factor of economic development and growth of nations. This concern is pervasive in both the developed and the developing countries. Arising from this concern is the need to evolve strategies that are workable and sustainable for Minimizing, or possibly eliminating the obstacles that stand in the way of full realization of Universal food availability, stability and access. Among the Strategies are agricultural programmes and researches aimed at increased productivity and income, and targeted at achieving self-sufficiency and self-reliance in food. Nigeria's agricultural and natural resources are obviously the nation's strategic asset for overall economic recovery and growth in addition to alleviating poverty. However in the Country food supply and ultimate food security are major problems in spite of the rich natural endowment. The development of Nigeria's agricultural sector to the extent that it can satisfactorily provide food for the population, re-establish its past position as a major foreign exchange earner, supply adequate raw materials and serve as a market for the growing Industrial sector and in the process, generate employment opportunities for the rapidly increasing population constitute a major challenge facing the country today. Since over 90 percent of the agricultural production in the Country emanates from the farmers of real small holders: identification of the wide range of technical, socio-economic, organizational and institutional problems which constrain the productive capacity of the rural dweller and therefore rural development and finding workable solutions to these constraints would appear to be a logical first step in any move towards agricultural and rural development in Nigeria (Oyaide 1988).