Achieving self-reliance in food production in Nigeria

Development policies in Nigeria have emphasised industrialisation leading to the neglect of agriculture. The oil boom of the 1970s worsened the neglect of the agricultural sector, while the oil glut of the 1980s made it mandatory to revamp the economy. The Structural Adjustment Programme was therefore adopted in 1986, and included a package to revamp the agricultural sector as an integral part of the programme. One of the objectives of the agricultural sector is the achievement of selfreliance in food production to eliminate food imports. The paper argues that if the objective of selfreliance in food production is to be achieved, rural women who produce and process a substantial part of Nigeria's food crops must become a target group for agricultural policies. They face constraints such as lack of or limited access to education, land, agricultural extension services, agricultural inputs, credit and appropriate technology. Policies b eradicate these constraints should be become an integral part of agricultural development programmes in Nigeria.