Abstract: | Nigeria's economic stability is rooted in agriculture, the oil boom notwithstanding. However, agriculture has been low in the priority list of Nigeria and, as a result of the neglect, Nigeria is showing all signs of economic insomnia. The main solution to the economic problems is an increase in domestic output especially of agriculture and the only feasible way to increase output in agriculture is to increase the productivity of the farmer through modernisation. This modernisation programme must be run on four wheels: tractorisation and chemicalisation of agriculture, provision of rural infrastructure, and land reforms. Nigeria is ripe enough to carry out this programme and arguments against modernisation of agriculture, such as the danger of social disorder and of farm fragmentation, and that the Nigerian farmer is too conservative, indolent, and clumsy, are fallacious. Bibliogr., fig., notes, ref., tab. |