Effects of Population Growth On Agriculture

CHAPTER ONEINTRODUCTIONThe impact of population growth on agriculture and natural resource management has been debated at least from the time of Reverend Thomas Malthus . Although the dismal predictions of Malthus regarding the inability of agricultural production to keep pace with population growth have not come to pass. The consequences of population growth on economic development nave attracted the attention of economists ever since Adam Smith wrote his Wealth of Nations. Adam Smith wrote, “the annual labour of every nation is the fund which originally supply it with all the necessaries and conveniences of life”. In addition, there are serious and growing concerns about the impacts of rapid population growth on environment andnatural resources including forests, land, water, biodiversity, and other resources. (M.L Jhingan 2007).Consequently, the effect of population changes on agricultural development has attracted more attention recently, partly because of aspirations, plans and programmes for expanding national production and the increasingly pervasive pattern of rapid decline in death rates. It has been a point of debate for long time as to whether the relationship is positive or negative; whether the population growth deters or promotes development or vice-versa and whether the two can ultimately settle down at point of equilibrium.1.1BACKGROUND TO THE STUDYNigeria lies on the west coast of Africa between 4 and 14 degrees north latitude and between 2and 15 degrees east stretching from the gulf of 423768 square kilometers coast in the south to thefinger of the Sahara desert in the north. Nigeria is topographically characterized by 5 major2 geographic divisions: low coastal zone along Gulf of Guinea; hills and low plateaus; Niger-Benue river valley; broad stepped plateau stretching to northern border with highest elevationsover 1,200meters; mountainous zone along eastern border which includes country’s highest point(2,042 meters) . The vegetation that results from these climatic differences consists of mangroveswamp forest in the Niger Delta and Sahel grassland in the north with a wide range of climatic,vegetational and soil conditions. Nigeria possesses potentials for a wide range of agriculturalproduction. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, with an estimated population of 151.87 millionas at 2009 (CBN, 2009). The population of Nigeria is predominantly rural with most peoplemigrating to the urban areas in search of jobs and source of livelihood. Its domestic economy isdominated by agriculture, which accounts for about 42.05% of the Gross Domestic Product(GDP) and two-third of the labour force. Agricultural production till date remains the mainstayof the Nigerian economy as greater proportions of the population depend on the agriculturalsector for their livelihood, while the rural economy is still