De-agrarianisation and rural employment in Igboland, south-eastern Nigeria

This working paper provides research findings emanating from the De-Agrarianisation and Rural Employment (DARE) Research Programme, coordinated by the African Studies Centre, Leiden. The aim of the Programme was to examine, from a multidisciplinary perspective, the changes in size and significance of the peasant population in sub-Saharan African countries and to draw attention to the new labour patterns and unfolding rural-urban relations now taking place. This paper focuses on Nigeria, and is based on research carried out in the village of Osumenyi in Nnewi South (Igboland), in southeastern Nigeria. It considers aspects of farm and nonfarm activities: the role and trend of farming activities and output, patterns of migration, incomes from nonfarm activities and other sources, the role of social networks, the role of infrastructure and community development, and linkages between nonfarm activities and agriculture. The conclusion is that nonfarm income far outweighs agricultural income. The Nigerian government, still under the impression that rural development is synonymous with agricultural development, should encourage areas with increasing land shortage, increasing populations and poor agricultural resources to diversify their incomes as a matter of priority

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