Overview of the Role of Government in Agriculture
Governments over the globe have been playing significant roles in transforming agricultural production by providing various supports and encouragements aimed at increasing food production.
Farmers’ livelihoods and food production have been greatly revolutionized by the roles played by various government agencies in ensuring that agriculture meets the global demand for food.
The government has made various policies and carried out research on agricultural production at various levels to promote agricultural production. These policies and research have resulted in the development of innovation and technologies that have promoted agricultural development.
The contribution of International agencies (such as the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund) through various governments at various levels has also helped to purchase farm inputs such as fertilizers, herbicides, insect ides, improved seeds, and breeds of farm animals, farm machinery ( such as tractor and its implement, Sheller, incubators, driers and so on to promote for security. These roles of government in agriculture are aimed toward the:
- Implement policies to influence food sufficiency
- Implement programs to ensure agricultural development
- to ensure farm inputs are available to farmers to boost agricultural development
- carry out overview and employment of qualified agricultural personnel to develop new species of crops and breed farm animals to increase food production.
Various government policies and programs have made a significant impact on peasant farmers’ use of modern innovations, and systems of farming to enhance crop and animal production.
Read Also: Roles of NGOs in Agricultural Development
Lists of the Roles of Government in Agriculture
Some of the roles of government in agriculture are enumerated below:
- Provision of financial assistance
- Building of storage facilities
- Establishment of efficient marketing outlets
- Pest and disease control
- Provision of basic amenities
- Processing of storage facilities
- Provision of Extension Services
- Provision of farm inputs to farmers
- Establishment of Agricultural Programmes
- Establishment of an Agricultural research institution
- Provision of Agricultural Education
Provision of Financial Assistance
To ensure that agriculture fulfills its role in food production the government has provided financial assistance to farmers to boost food production. This financial assistance could be in the form of loans and credit facilities.
Agencies like agricultural banks and their affiliate and commercial banks were set up to give loans to farmers. Loans and credit facilities through the government and its financial agencies are usually very low interest rates to boost their production, and these loans are usually not tied to collateral securities.
In West Africa, particularly Nigeria loans are given to farmers without collateral securities but based on bank verification numbers (BVN) and National Identification Numbers.
Building Storage facilities
The government has provided storage facilities in major parts of the country with various subsections in the farming communities so as to prevent food wastage and scarcity.
They have also encouraged farmers with portable cold storage facilities, and airtight containers to prevent food spoilage. The government through its ministries has provided farmers with credits to set up storage facilities, while and encouraging the local farmers to build construction facilities such s cribs, bans to store their farm produce to prevent food spoilage.
Additionally, chemicals such as fumigant have been supplied by the government to control the incidence of pests.
Provision of Processing Facilities
Processing facilities such as rice mills, cassava mills, yam mills, oil palm mills, corn mills, and other mini-processing machines are been provided by the government to facilitate the processing of agricultural produce immediately after harvest.
The government trains farmers annually on better processing techniques and ensures that the food processed is safe for human consumption. Symposium are been organized on how to manage and operate these processing facilities. The government also sponsors research on how to locally fabricate these processing machines for better and more effective uses.
The government also equipped farmers with the knowledge of the right material to be used for processing agricultural commodities to ensure that the food processed is well packaged. Processed farm produce is also registered with appropriate organizations to enhance the quality of food.
Establishment of the Research Institution
The government has set up an agricultural research center to develop new farming systems and practices. These research institutions are set up according to crops and animals that are of national interest.
In West Africa particularly Nigeria, the government has set and funded many agricultural research institutions that developed improved varieties of crops and breeds of farm animals that early maturing, good quality, uniform growth, and meet consumers’ needs.
Crops such as rice, cowpea, yam, cocoyam, tomato, oil palm, cassava, cocoa, mango, and animals with a higher yield of milk, meat, egg, and more ensure food sufficiency. The government through these research institutions has developed crops and animals that are resistant to certain prevailing pests and diseases and the method for their effective control.
Agricultural research institutions have developed local methods of preserving farm produce and developed various vaccine use for preventing and controlling pathogens.
Provision of Subsidies on Farm Inputs
The government subsidizes many agricultural inputs to increase agricultural production. Farm inputs such as fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, tractors, and implements, harvesters, improved seeds of crops, and breeds of farm animals are provided to farmers at a minimum amount to encourage farmers to invest in agriculture.
The government also provides financial assistance to farmers at minimal or no interest rate to ensure that farmers start their farming operation when due and recommended.
The government made available modern farm tools and implements at a subsidized rate to boost agricultural development.
Provision of Basic Amenities
The government provides infrastructural facilities such as sports centers, pipe borne, electricity, good roads, hospitals, good schools, and markets to aid agricultural development.
These basic amenities are provided in the rural areas or in the farming communities to reduce the movement of able-bodied youths from rural to urban areas. Stadiums and recreational centers are constructed in the rural areas to bring life from the urban center to the rural area to enable youths to stay and carry out farming activities.
Feeder roads are constructed to link the remote communities to the urban area to facilitate the easy movement of rural dwellers and farm produce to urban areas for sale and return to the rural area.
Establishment of Efficient Marketing Outlets
This is one of the roles of government in agriculture, the government establishes commodity boards, and other marketing organizations and is saddled with responsibility for the marketing of agricultural communities.
The government through these agencies purchases farm produce during the harvest season to prevent price fluctuation and sets up many food storage schemes such as strategic grain reserves and food storage programs to store excess farm produce during the period of surplus and release food to farmers and citizens during emergency periods.
To ensure that agricultural produce gets to the final consumers the government places low taxation on agricultural commodities to ensure that consumers don’t bear the burden of higher taxation. Agencies have been established by the government to encourage the export and regulate the import of agricultural produce.
Read also: Roles of Science and Technology in Agriculture.
Pest and Disease Control
In order to protect farmers crops and animals from the adverse effects of pests and diseases the government has provided agrochemicals such as fungicides, pesticides, bactericides, viricides, and vaccines to protect crops and animals against pathogens.
The veterinary clinic has been established to treat sick and diseased farm animals. Quarantine stations have been established in every state or district, border, airport, and seaport to control and prevent the introduction of new diseases.
Additionally, research states have also been set up to develop new species of crops and developed breed of farm animals that are resistant to pests, parasites, and disease.
Establishment of Agricultural Programmes
The government has set many agricultural programs to stimulate agricultural development. In West Africa particularly Nigeria, the government has set up programs such as Operation Feed the Nation (OFN), Farm Settlement Schemes Agricultural Loan Schemes, River Basins Development Authorities, National Agricultural Insurance schemes, National Accelerated Food Production Programme, Agricultural education and Research, quarantine and vaccines, Operation feed the nation, Green revolution, Agricultural Development Project, DFRRI, National Agricultural Land Development Agency and so on to aid agricultural production. \
Many of these programs are established to reduce the rate of unemployment among school leavers and make farming vary alternative, provide rural infrastructure in the rural area, protect farmers against uncertainties, natural hazards, and risks in farming, and provide irrigation through the construction of dams, stimulate large scale farming, provide tractor and other farm implement at minimum cost, provide farm inputs and provide storage and processing facilities for farmers to increased agricultural production.
Provision of Extension Services
The government through various ministries and agencies has set up the Department of Agricultural Extension and Training to help farmers make better farm management decisions and purchase improved farm inputs to boost agricultural production.
Extension agents have been employed to help farmers access market information and strategies for the acquisition of loans and their utilization. Qualified and experienced extension officers are employed to relay farmers’ problems to the government ministry, research stations, and universities for solutions.
The trained personnel help farmers understand and adopt new ideas and innovations for improved productivity.
Establishment of Agricultural Education
The government has established the Department of Agricultural Education in the colleges, and universities as well as the teaching of agricultural science compulsory at the primary and secondary school levels.
The government through the Ministry of Education also set up nomadic, adult education for the migrant fishermen to educate farmers and adult individuals on how to read and write.
These abilities to read or write will help farmers adopt new and improved techniques and innovations in farming. Agricultural education equipped youth with the knowledge, skills, and competencies to up farming as a profession. Due to the fact that some Nigerian farmers are illiterate, the government decided to provide adults.