A Study of Increased Food Produvtion in Nigeria: The Effect of the Structural Adjustment Program on the Local Level

Abstract

The paper is composed of two parts; The first surveys the changes in Nigerian national food production with relation to the governmental policy. The second analyses the findings from a field study about local food production in relation with that of the national level. Nigerian food production began to increase in the mid-1980's, however there is no substantial data to convince it. To what extent this was due to the Structural Adjustment Program (S.A.P.) is assessed using the methodology of political ecology. This paper is an attempt to show how and to what extent the change in agricultural production in national level has connected with that of local level. It's highly probable that introduction of S.A.P. has effect to increase food production, through extensive changes in cultivation, such as diminution of mixed cropping, shortened fallow periods, and partial desolation of cultivation fallow systems. These all lead to the increase in cassava production, which may have been attained at the ultimate sacrifice of land degradation.