Full Length Research Paper
Government Agricultural Projects and Rural Development in Selected Local Government Areas in Rivers State, Nigeria
Godwin Uzochukwu Nosiri, Alwell Nteegah*, Monday Robinson and Ijeoma Kalu
Article Number - 61A100AF2140A | Vol. 2(3), pp. 20-37, November 2021 |
Received: 23 September 2021 | Accepted: 13 November 2021 | Published: 30 November 2021
Copyright © 2024 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article.
This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0.
Abstract
This paper examined contributions of
government agricultural projects to rural development in selected Local
Government Areas in Rivers State, Nigeria. Specifically, the contributions of
Risonpalm Estate (now SIART NIG. LTD), School-to-Land Programme and Songhai
Farm to rural employment, farm output, and rural farmers’ income in rural areas
in Rivers State were explored. A cross-sectional research design, using survey
method was followed and combinations of descriptive and inferential statistics
formed the basis for the analysis of the responses generated using a
well-structured questionnaire. The findings revealed that government
agricultural projects/supports to farmers have helped to create more jobs in
the host communities thereby contributing to the development of the host
communities and the state at large. Similarly, it was found that government
supports to farmers and the employment of people in government-owned farms in
Rivers State have improved the productivity of farmers and employees thereby contributing
to the development of the host communities and the state at large. The results
further indicate that government agricultural projects/supports to farmers have
helped to improve the income level of farmers and employees in the host
communities where the projects are located thereby contributing to the
development of the host communities. Based on these findings, the study
concluded that government sponsored agricultural activities/projects have
contributed to the development of the rural communities in Rivers State. Thus,
the paper recommends among others that government should increase support to
farmers and funding to the farms to improve productivity and output of both
farmers and employees of the farms. Keywords: Rural Development, Agricultural projects,
Income, Employment, Output.
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Authors
Godwin Uzochukwu Nosiri, Alwell Nteegah*, Monday Robinson and Ijeoma Kalu
Department of Economics, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State,
Nigeria.
*Corresponding
author. Email: [email protected]
How to Cite this Article
Nosiri, G. U.,
Nteegah, A., Robinson, M. & Kalu, I. (2021). Government Agricultural
Projects and Rural Development in Selected Local Government Areas in Rivers
State, Nigeria. Journal of Economics,
Business Management and Administration, 2(3), 20-37.
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