Author(s) :

MATHEW Paul Ufana.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

Agriculture remains central to Nigeria’s economy, yet decades of reforms have failed to substantially improve rural livelihoods. This paper critically examines the persistent gap between the rhetoric of agricultural policy and the lived realities of rural populations. Successive Nigerian administrations, influenced by global neoliberal frameworks, have introduced reforms such as Operation Feed the Nation, the Green Revolution Initiative, the Structural Adjustment Programme, Fadama Projects, and the Agricultural Transformation Agenda. These initiatives, while rhetorically promoting food security, rural empowerment, and modernization, often neglect structural issues like land insecurity, poor infrastructure, limited access to credit, and institutional weakness. This study uses a political economy lens to investigate the flaws in agricultural changes in Nigeria, exposing a major gap between policy rhetoric and the daily life of rural farmers. It draws attention to five main problems: lack of market access, dependency on import subsidies, inadequate funding, poor infrastructure, and insufficient support for small-scale farmers. Every one of these elements helps to marginalize rural farmers and so compromises the success of initiatives meant to change the agricultural economy. To close this gap, attention should switch to resolving underlying power dynamics, guaranteeing sustainable funding, maximizing subsidy schemes, improving market access, and assisting smallholder farmers via targeted policies and infrastructural initiatives. Successful agricultural transformation and inclusive rural development in Nigeria depends on a cooperative approach including several interested parties.

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