Why We Work in the Agricultural Input Sector
The Niger Delta is one of the poorest regions in the country, with poverty heavily concentrated in rural areas1. For the Niger Delta’s poor, agriculture is a critical sector, employing approximately 52% of the Niger Delta’s total labour force and providing a livelihood for about 90% of the rural population2. It accounts for 24% of the Niger Delta’s contribution to the national GDP and employs about 11.1 million people3. The incidence of poverty is highest among households in which the head is engaged in agriculture as the main source of income. Underpinning the high incidence of poverty in households engaged in agriculture is their low input-low output production model, characterised by a dominance of small farm units4, soil fragility, rain-dependence, minimum inputs and poor yields. Improved agricultural productivity is therefore important to the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger in the Niger Delta5. As such, an improvement in the Niger Delta’s agricultural productivity through improved access to farm inputs usage holds enormous potential to raise incomes and reduce poverty6.
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