Scientific Essay from the year 2016 in the subject Agrarian Studies, South Bank University London, language: English, abstract: This article draws on critical review of research articles, official statistics and policy documents on agricultural production in Nigeria, especially since the beginning of the current democratic dispensation in 1999. This paper highlights the findings of researchers and policy makers on the significant gains made in the agricultural sector, especially in terms of increased productivity of staple crops like cassava and rice. However, this review also identifies significant gaps in knowledge and deficiencies in practice, in the areas of innovation diffusion among rural farmers, market reforms, engagement in high value chains, and the politics of policy implementation and evaluation.

This valuable book summarizes recent research by experts from both the natural and social sciences on the effects of population growth on land use. It is a useful introduction to a field in which little quantitative research has been conducted and in which there is a great deal of public controversy. The book includes case studies of African, Asian, and Latin American countries that demonstrate the varied effects of population growth on land use. Several general chapters address the following timely questions: What is meant by land use change? Why are ecological research and population studies so different? What are the implications for sustainable growth in agricultural production? Although much work remains to be done in quantifying the causal connections between demographic and land use changes, this book provides important insights into those connections, and it should stimulate more work in this area.

In The Nigerian Rice Economy the authors assess three options for reducing this dependency - tariffs and other trade policies; increasing domestic rice production; and improving post-harvest rice processing and marketing - and identify improved production and post-harvest activities as the most promising. These options however, will require substantially increased public investments in a variety of areas, including research and development, basic infrastructure (for example, irrigation, feeder roads, and electricity), and rice milling technologies.