AGRARIAN VISTA AND RURAL LIVELIHOOD SUSTAINABILITY IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA

Abstract

One of the major drivers of inclusive and sustainable development in the world today is rural livelihoods. The cocoa industry particularly provided a viable means of sustaining rural livelihood and improving economic development in various agrarian communities in southwest Nigeria through much of the twentieth century. However, the cocoa production has dropped drastically since the 2000s because of a flurry of problems. In Nigeria, various cocoa-producing plantations are moribund, due to various problems arising in the main from effects of climate change on the ecosystem and biodiversity, deforestation, dispossession and poor trade regulation of cocoa produce. These challenges have necessitated an unavoidable wave of rural to urban migration and diversification from cocoa farming to the cultivation of cannabis and other non-agrarian ventures. This paper, therefore, identifies and discusses factors militating against the growth and sustainability of cocoa production in Nigeria. In order to navigate discussions, a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods was used to collect and analyse data. Data comprise farmers in cocoa plantations in Ifeodore Local Government Area of Ondo State. Structured questionnaires were administered to farmers at various Cocoa farms under study by using the random sampling method. Semi-structured questions were also employed to interview key informants.  What is revealed is that cocoa production in Nigeria has declined drastically, and this will hamper livelihood and economic development in the rural areas in future. To this end, the paper recommends that Cocoa Board and other relevant regulatory agencies be reconstituted. It also suggests that government-owned Reserves for cocoa production in cocoa-producing statets in Nigeria should be created.