(a) List six problems of agricultural development in Nigeria (b) State five possible solutions to the problems of agricultural development listed in (a). (c...

(a) Six problems of agricultural development in Nigeria:

1. Inadequate finance and poor access to credit facilities by farmers.
2. Poor storage and processing facilities, leading to heavy post-harvest losses.
3. Poor transportation network and bad rural roads.
4. Use of crude and outdated farm implements with low mechanisation.
5. Land tenure system that fragments land and discourages large-scale farming.
6. Inadequate and inefficient agricultural extension services.

(b) Five possible solutions:

1. Provide soft loans and agricultural credit to farmers through banks and cooperatives.
2. Establish modern storage and processing facilities such as silos and cold rooms.
3. Construct and maintain good rural roads and provide affordable transport.
4. Encourage mechanisation by subsidising tractors and modern implements.
5. Reform the land tenure system and strengthen extension services to reach more farmers.

(c) Five ways inadequate storage and processing facilities have affected agricultural development:

1. High post-harvest losses: much produce spoils and rots before it can be sold or used, wasting farmers' effort.
2. Reduced farmers' income: farmers are forced to sell perishable produce cheaply and quickly at harvest, lowering their earnings.
3. Seasonal gluts and scarcity: produce is abundant and cheap at harvest but scarce and expensive off-season, causing price instability.
4. Discouragement of large-scale production: farmers avoid producing more than they can store or sell, keeping output low.
5. Loss of quality and value: unprocessed and poorly stored produce loses quality, reducing its value and limiting export and industrial use.