Agricultural Policies Influence on Smallholders’ Farming in Nigeria: A Review

Nigeria's agricultural policy is the synthesis of the framework and action plans of Government designed to achieve overall agricultural growth and development. The policy aims at the attainment of self-sustaining growth in all the sub-sectors of agriculture and the structural transformation necessary for the overall socio-economic development of the country as well as the improvement in the quality of life of Nigerians. The small-holder farmers are vital for Nigeria's agriculture and rural economy. They are defined as those marginal and sub-marginal farm households that own or/and cultivate less than 5.0 hectares of land and constitute about 70 per cent of the country's farmers. This paper therefore reviewed the Nigerian agricultural policy influence as it affects small holder farming. It reviewed the Nigerian agricultural policy landscape and the new national agricultural policy as they affect some macro-economic policies since the post- civil war era. The paper depended mainly on content analysis and secondary information. Some gaps identified in the national agricultural policy were also reviewed. A critical examination of the reforms/policies and their implementation over the years constituted major obstacles to the implementation and achievement of the goals and objectives of these policies. The role of the small holder farmer in Nigeria who occupies the majority of land and produced most of the crops and livestock's products was also examined. The paper recommends that the various stakeholders should be involved in the planning and execution-of agricultural policies as well as an increase in investment and extension for irrigation facilities targeted at market-oriented, younger and educated farmers