11 Major Importance of Agricultural Development

 

11 Major Importance of Agricultural Development


Agricultural development is a multi-sectional activity that support and promote positive change in the rural and urban areas. However, the main objectives of agricultural development are the improvement of material and social welfare of the people.

Agriculture plays a key role in food security and economic development. However, most of the world’s population in rural areas depends directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihoods. 

Yet as the world’s population increases and migration to towns and cities intensifies, so the proportion of people not producing food will grow.

Agricultural development is a multi-sectional activity that support and promote positive change in the rural and urban areas. However, the main objectives of agricultural development are the improvement of material and social welfare of the people.

Therefore, agricultural development is seen as synonymous with rural development, the two terms are different but intrinsically related. Agricultural development is a part of rural development; rural areas cannot develop without its agriculture being developed because about 90% of the rural dwellers are engaged in agricultural practices as their major source of income.

Therefore, agricultural development is seen as synonymous with rural development, the two terms are different but intrinsically related. Agricultural development is a part of rural development; rural areas cannot develop without its agriculture being developed because about 90% of the rural dwellers are engaged in agricultural practices as their major source of income.

It is equally important to address the essentials of agricultural development. This article is set to address this very crucial aspect of agricultural development.

 

Read: Agricultural Development: Definition, Theories and Models


11 Major Importance of Agricultural Development



11 Major Importance of Agricultural Development

The essentials of agricultural development are highlighted below:

1. Marketing for farm products

2. Constantly changing technology

3. Local availability of supplies and equipment

4. Production incentives for the farmers

5. Adequate transportation

6. Adequate credit for production and consumption

7. Formation of farmers groups and cooperatives

8. Improving and expanding agricultural land

9. National leaders with objectives of agricultural development

10. Existence of competent planners for agricultural development

11. A nation that gives pride to farmers who can make agricultural development possible

Let look into details.

1. Marketing for farm products: An essential pre-requisite for agricultural development to take place is that there must exist markets for the farmers‘surplus production. Agricultural development itself should lead to increased production. Produce must be sold at prices that would cover cost of production and leave a surplus to cover or pay for the efforts of the farmer.

For effective marketing, there must be that demand for the goods to be produced. The marketing system must be such that a reasonable proportion of what consumers pay reaches the farmers so that they would be encouraged to produce more.

The farmers must also have confidence in the marketing systems, for instance, an assurance that they will be able to sell all that produce at fair prices to them and the consumers. There must also be storage facilities, where excess production at harvest can be stored against the lean period, programmes, like price stabilization or guaranteed minimum prices, are ways to encourage farmers to increase production.

2. Constantly changing technology: For agricultural development to take place there must be constantly changing technology. For instance, continuous cultivation of piece of land leads to decrease in fertility. To improve the soil, there must be adequate fertilizers which should be used at the right time with the right quantity and combination.

Again the continuous cultivation of certain crops leads to the building up of pests and diseases. There must therefore be new methods of crop management as well as the use of chemicals and pesticides. There must be the introduction of new high yielding varieties which should be resistant to certain diseases. 

As for animals, better qualities must be produced or introduced. For instance, the exotic layers produce more eggs than local birds, and in a situation where demand for eggs is high, the introduction of exotic layers becomes a necessity.

Furthermore, when hectares cultivated increase, say, for maize or rice as a result of irrigation schemes, it means that production patterns may change, which will in turn necessitate more and better machines, and more equipment for sowing or harvesting. With increased production, there must be storage facilities to store excess production from one season to the other.

Some of the techniques can be developed within a country through research and the findings of such research can be disseminated through an articulated extension service. Some technologies might be imported and adapted to local conditions.

For sustained agricultural development, a large percentage of new technologies introduced to the farmers must be developed within a given country. The advantages of indigenous technologies are many and include cheapness and acceptability. For example, maize could be stored in wooden cribs as against silos.

3. Local availability of supplies and equipment: The new technologies introduced will result in the use of special supplies and equipment. Some of these include new seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and tractors, cages for layers, waters and feeders.

In most developing countries, these are imported. But for effectiveness in production, there should be gradual moves towards local production of these goods, particularly if they would become cheaper. Even if they are imported, they must be made available in the local areas.

There are at present in Nigeria reports of shortages of fertilizers and spraying chemicals. In order to reduce these shortages, governments and development corporations have set up agro-service centres to ensure that supplies are brought within easy reach of the farmers. 

In places where there are no such centres, cooperative farmers ‘organizations help in the distribution of supplies and hiring of tractors and implements.

Whether it is through the efforts of individuals, governments or cooperatives, the most important thing is that the productive resources or inputs must be available to the farmer at the time they need them and at prices that they can afford.

4. Productive incentives for Farmers: Farming is not as attractive as other occupations. In the peasant environment, much physical energy is expended in production while returns are low. Many continue to produce just to exist. Agricultural development cannot take place in this atmosphere.

For development to take place, farmers must be paid fair producer prices, prices that would cover the cost of production and leave them with some reasonable margin. The guaranteed minimum price policy is a result of government‘s intention of guaranteeing stable prices for farmers. Furthermore, the farmers must be able to have all the goods and services that they need for their families.

For instance, good medical care, schools within easy reach of their living places, good water supply and electricity. In short they must have facilities that will make them comfortable and so help increase their productivity.

5. Adequate transportation: Transportation Goods produced by the farmers must get to the consumers or the users at the right time. Roads are needed to bring to the farmers the required inputs and dispose of the outputs. Where there are good roads and improved systems of transportation, farmers receive better prices for their products.

In some cases, roads to rural areas are constructed and maintained by government efforts. In some other cases when certain community roads become important, the local government may take them over from local communities and help in maintaining them. Other important factors in transportation include prices of commercial vehicles and their spare parts.

The importance of transportation of both men and materials cannot be overemphasized in agricultural development. For example, a man using a wheel-barrow to transport farm produce is estimated to be able to carry five times the quantity transported by a man using head porterage. This is also true of donkeys used for transporting farm produce.

6. Group action by farmers: There are a lot of farmers ‘organizations, some voluntary, others inspired, that have been found to help farmers both in the purchase and disposal of production inputs. This group action may range from group cultivation, to bulk purchases of inputs and to purchase of tractors.

7. Improving and expanding agriculture land: Land is very important for agricultural production in developing countries. Challenges here include lack of rainfall or excessive rainfall and lack of proper care in the use and management of agricultural land.

There is need for improving the method of cultivation as well as working out the combination of crops to be grown. The expansion of agricultural land can be done through bringing more land into cultivation and through irrigation schemes. The removal of some institutional factors particularly as they relate to land tenure is likely to make available more agricultural land.


Read: 15 Top Importance of Agriculture in Developing Countries


8. Availability of credit for production and processing: Capital is needed by the farmers to break the vicious cycle created by low productivity, income and savings. For agricultural development to take place, credit must be available at the time the farmers want it and at reasonable interest rates. 

Allowance must also be given to ensure that farmers receive not only production credit but also consumption credit; otherwise the farmers are likely to use their production credit for consumption and this will not help agricultural development.

9. National leaders committed to agricultural development: In countries where there are many sources of revenue, the tendency is to give priority to those that would generate immediate income. Agriculture is almost always neglected or at least not given a pride of place.

Oil-rich countries of the developing world are a case in point. In most cases, it needs a major food crisis or some international problem in prices of minerals to gear leaders in these countries to do something meaningful for the agriculture of the countries. It is, therefore, a necessity that leaders must know that the development of agriculture is sine qua non of economic development and this must be reflected in agricultural policies of these countries.

Mere enumeration of agricultural policies is not enough, their translation into reality is essential. This also implies that such leaders or their planners must understand agricultural policies in terms of types and implementation strategies.

10. Existence of competent planners for agricultural development: For agricultural development to take place there must be competent planners as well as adequate planning data on which meaningful projection for agricultural development could be made.

11. Recognizing farmers: For countries that desire rapid agricultural development the farmers must be recognized and be given pride of place. They must not be seen as mere providers of food and cash crops. Every effort must be made by the government to ensure that farming is recognized as one of the important professions, and aids should be channeled to them and the public made aware of the important role the farmers play in the national economy.

Awarding prizes at agricultural shows and conferring honours on successful farmers are steps that can be taken to encourage farmers to put in their best so as to achieve rapid and sustainable agricultural development.

 

Read: Problems of Agriculture in Developing Countries


Conclusion on 11 major Importance of Agricultural Development

We have mention and explained the importance of agricultural development which is 11 in number as discussed in the article.

In this unit you have learnt about the following essentials of agricultural development:

1. Marketing for farm products

2. Constantly changing technology

3. Local availability of supplies and equipment

4. Production incentives for the farmers

5. Adequate transportation

6. Adequate credit for production and consumption

7. Formation of farmers groups and cooperatives

8. Improving and expanding agricultural land

9. National leaders with objectives of agricultural development

10. Existence of competent planners for agricultural development

11. A nation that gives pride to farmers who can make agricultural development possible.


 Read: Meaning and Types of Agricultural Policy Instruments

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