THE IMPACT OF AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT ON NIGERIA ECONOMIC GROWTH, 1980– 2014

 
1.1          BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Agriculture is concerned with the husbandry of crops and animals for food and other purposes.  It is the foundation upon which the development of stable human communities, such as rural and urban communities has depended on in many parts of the world.  The study of economic history provides us with ample evidence that an agricultural revolution is a fundamental pre-condition for economic development.  The agricultural sector has the potentials to be the industrial and economic springboard from which a country’s development can take off.  Indeed, more often than not, agricultural activities are usually concentrated in the less developed rural areas where there is a critical need for rural transformation, redistribution, poverty alleviation and socio-economic development.
The agricultural sector has the potentials to shape the landscape, provide environmental benefits such as conservation, guarantee sustainable management of renewable natural resources, preserve biodiversity and contribute to the viability of rural areas.  Through its spheres of activities at both the macro and micro levels, the agricultural sector is strategically positioned to have a high multiplier and linkage effect on any nation’s quest for socio economic and industrial development.