Introduction to Problems of Agriculture
Despite the advancement in agricultural technology such as drone manufacturing, smart agricultural types of machinery, herbicides, feeds, and insecticides. Agriculture across the globe is bedeviled with several problems which have resulted in global food insecurity.
The efforts of agricultural stakeholders to revive agriculture, and make it lucrative have resulted in little or no progress, especially in developing countries where agriculture is mainly at the subsistence level.
The problem hindering successful agriculture across the globe could result from natural disasters, inadequate knowledge and skills, and inadequate financial resources to purchase inputs to boost agricultural production.
In many countries, food importation has been on the rise, they import few or nearly all types of food. They spend nearly their gross domestic earning importing food resulting in huge financial indebtedness to financial institutes such as the World Bank or International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Lists of the Problems of Agriculture
Some of the problems that have hindered agriculture development in the world are highlighted below:
- Illiteracy among farmers
- Land tenure system
- Inadequate Basic Amenities
- Inadequate capital or poor financing assistance
- Inadequate transportation facilities or road network
- Poor storage facilities
- Inadequate farm inputs
- Inadequate processing facilities
- The problem of pests and diseases
- Poor communication network
- Inadequate extension services or Extension agents
- Poor farm tools and machinery
- Poor marketing system
- Natural hazard
- The problem of environmental degradation
- Wrong attitude toward agriculture
- Instability of government policies and programmes
Illiteracy or Low Level of Education Among Farmers
Most farmers especially those in developing countries can neither read nor write which constitutes a serious problem for agricultural development. Due to these factors, they are not aware of the current trend in agricultural production. They cannot read instructions on farm inputs such as herbicides, insecticides, and other agrochemicals used on the farm.
Additionally, some of these farmers possess low levels of education which are not enough to understand some agricultural technology needed to boost farming.
Illiterate and poorly educated farmers may not know the planting date and distance for crops, exotic breeds of animals to rear, required varieties of plants to be cultivated, and quantity of fertilizers and feed to give to farm animals and plants respectively. Illiteracy also leads to poor adoption of farming innovation and technology among farmers.
Land Tenure System
the system of land ownership across the globe constitutes a serious problem for agricultural development. Land is one of the assets that is jealously and carefully guided. In Africa, particularly the West Africa subregion land is jealously guided such that one can kill his relative due to land.
This singular fact coupled with the system of land tenure ownership makes land a scarce commodity. The system of land ownership which vests land in the hands of a community, state, or individual makes land acquisition for agricultural purposes difficult. In some West African countries particularly Nigeria, the ownership of land is vested in the hands of the government, individuals, and communities.
However, the right to land ownership is with the government’s weak policies and the bureaucratic nature of government policies makes the acquisition and ownership of land for agriculture difficult. Land owned by the individual is usually fragmented which does not encourage large-scale agriculture, while land owned by communities is usually large but cannot be used for the cultivation of permanent crops. The increase in urbanization has made land availability for agriculture difficult.
Inadequate Basic Amenities
Basic amenities such as good road networks, electricity, health care centers, good schools, smart telephone networks or services, potable water supply, and good markets, are grossly insufficient in the rural area where most of the food is produced.
The inadequacy of these social and infrastructural amenities constitutes a serious setback to agricultural production. The inadequacy of these social and infrastructural amenities in the rural area where 70% of agricultural production takes place constitutes a serious setback to agricultural production.
Able bodies’ young men and women who are supposed to reside in rural areas are forced to migrate to the cities where these social and infrastructural amenities are available leaving the farming sector in the hands of aged old men and women which leads to low food production eventually leading to insecurity.
The presence of social and infrastructural amenities in the rural area can boost the standard of living of rural dwellers therefore creating a better and productive farming system. The movement of goods and people from the rural areas to the urban areas for sale cannot be effective under a bad transportation road network. Similarly, poor health facilities and potable water supply will increase the rate of infection and diseases and delay the treatment of illness among rural farmers thereby reducing agricultural production and eventually contributing to the problem of agriculture.
Poor Communication Network
the communication network available in the rural areas where 70% of agriculture production takes place is bedeviled by poor communication networks thereby hindering agricultural production. Network facilities are only installed in the urban areas where fewer agricultural activities take place compared to the rural areas.
This leads to poor communication between the extension agents and the farmers. The transmission of agricultural innovation and ready market for the sales of agricultural produce to rural farmers via phone and television by agricultural extension personnel are hindered by poor networks from service providers.
Additionally, communication facilities such as radio, television, telephone, telex, fax, and their network service are available in the rural areas for farmers to purchase as they have to transport to the urban cities where they are available.
Inadequate Capital or Financial Assistance
Farming requires huge financial involvement, capital is needed for land preparation, purchasing farm inputs, maintenance of the farm, carrying farm protection practices, and harvesting activities. Inadequate capital coupled with poor financial assistance from the government and financial institutes constitute serious challenges to agricultural development.
Financial institutes depend on collateral security for loans which may be land properties, certificates of occupancy, farmers ‘ creditworthiness, financial statements and records of the farm, etc. before granting loans to farmers which in most cases are not available.
Similarly, most financial institutes demand high interest rates which discourage most from seeking farm credit from financial institutions which results in farmers operating small pieces of farmland.
Additionally, most farmers particularly those that reside in developing countries are peasant farmers that operate between 1-2 hectares of farmland, and their yield or output is basically for family consumption such farmers cannot have sufficient capital to expand their farm beyond the subsistence level which hinders agricultural development.
Inadequate Storage Facilities
Storage is the process of preventing farm produce from microbial attack. The facilities required to keep farm produce from spoilage are grossly inadequate in most towns and villages where agriculture is practiced.
Storage structures such as silos, refrigerators, cooling vans, and cold rooms, which are particularly used for storing grains and fresh produce from spoilage are available in the rural area, where they are available, electricity is not available to power such facilities.
These make farmers depend largely on traditional storage structures such as bans, cribs, rhumbas, and underground storage to preserve agricultural produce from spoilage. The uses of these conventional storage facilities lead to the attack of pests and diseases which reduce the quality and quantity of agricultural produce.
Inadequate Processing Facilities
This is also one of the problems of agriculture. Harvested agricultural produce needs to be processed and preserved to extend their shelf life.
Turning agricultural products from the raw state to the finished or semi-finished products is one of the major factors necessary for agricultural development. Agricultural produce in its raw state is bulky, and fragile and can easily be attacked by pests and diseases.
Processing machines such as oil mills, cassava mills, pellet-making machines, feed mixers, additive mixers, packaging machines, and feed driers are lacking or inadequate in rural areas, where they are present they are highly expensive which peasant farmers cannot afford.
Some of these processing machines are imported, and spare parts may not be readily available in rural areas the technicality of these machines which require skilled manpower to operate and service make maintenance of such machines difficult.
Inadequate Extension Agents or Services
The transmission of information and agricultural innovation about the latest farming system from the research station to the farmer is grossly insufficient which hinders agricultural development. The extension personnel responsible for the passing of this information about modern farming from research institutions are inadequate. The ratio of agricultural extension agents especially in developing countries is poor.
Additionally, the number of extension agents available to keep the farmers abreast of the latest developments in the farming system has no means of mobility or visiting the farmers in their respective farms. Even when these mobility are available the cost of maintenance or keeping the vehicle or motorcycle functional is high which contributes to the problem of agricultural development.
Few extension agents designed to work in the rural areas where farmers dwell are poorly remunerated which reduces motivation to work effectively.