CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Recent literature indicates the significance of rural infrastructure in

improving agricultural productivity in developing economies (Anderson
and Shimokawa 2016). Effective infrastructure has been described as a
key foundation for strong economic growth (International Labour
Organization, 2010; National Audit Office 2013) that plays a critical role
in ensuring efficient operations in the cassava value chain (Oni, 2013).
Infrastructural facilities are basic services without which the needed
environment as well as primary, secondary and tertiary productive
activities will not be able to function. Infrastructural facilities can be
physical (such as roads, water, rural electrification, storage and
processing facilities), social infrastructure (health and educational
facilities, community centres, fire and security services) and institutional
infrastructure (credit and financial institutions, agricultural research
facilities) (Rahji, 2017).

Availability of adequate infrastructure facilities is an important pre-

requisite for sustainable economic and social development. Increasing
agricultural productivity depends on good infrastructural facilities and is
an instrument to improve the economy (Calderon and Serve, 2018;
Egbetokun, 2019; Patra and Acharya, 2021). Adequate infrastructures
can reduce the cost of production which affects productivity (Oyewole
and Oloko, 2016).

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Infrastructures are key stimulants to agricultural development and
growth (FAO, 2016). But most developing countries including Nigeria
still suffer from poor rural infrastructural facilities (Olayiwola and
Adeleye, 2015; Umoren et al., 2019). Even though Nigeria government
initiated several projects to improve the quality and quantity of
infrastructure in the rural areas through programmes such as the
construction of small dams and boreholes for rural water supply and
the clearing of feeder roads for the evacuation of agricultural produce,
the supply of electricity to rural areas from large irrigation dams, the
establishment of eleven River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs),
Directorate for Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFRRI), the
Poverty Relief and Infrastructure Investment Fund and the
Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme, the impact of such
programmes on the lives of many rural people in the country is still
considered to be limited (Ale et al., 2021).

The neglect of rural infrastructure (such as roads) impedes the

profitability of agricultural production, marketing of agricultural
commodities and prevents farmers from selling their produce at
reasonable price due to spoilage (IFAD, 2011; Akpan, 2012). Limited
accessibility to infrastructures such as road and credit cuts small-scale
farmers off from sources of inputs, equipment and new technology and
keeps yields low. Inadequate infrastructures also affect the level of
productivity through ineffective time allocation (Ondiege etal., 2013),
poor health and quality of life (Kessides, 2013; Alaba, 2021), poverty
reduction, economic growth and employment for the rural poor (United
Nations, 2011), ineffective marketing and price transmission, thereby
inhibiting full utilization of potentials of farm households. Many poor

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 farm households tend to live in isolated villages which are virtually
inaccessible during the rainy seasons (Alaba, 2021).

This study will be very important even though the effect of rural
infrastructure on productivity in Yagba west local government area of
Kogi state has been examined recently, the specific effect on farmers
contribution was however not sharply focused (Fakayode et al., 2018;
Ashagidigbi et al., 2021; Odoemenem and Otanwa, 2021; Olagunju et
al., 2022; Adepoju and Salman, 2023).

This study will bridge this gap through empirical analysis of the effect
of rural infrastructural deficiency on farmer’s productivity in Yagba west
Local government area of kogi state well as correct the bias in
methodology that uses distance (Fakayode et al., 2018) in the
computation of infrastructural index. The use of cost incurred in
accessing the various infrastructures is more appropriate in the context
of a rural community where the study is carried.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Infrastructure access is a major challenge facing Africa. less than forty

percent of Africans have access to electricity, only about one third have
access to proper roads and just 5% of arable or farmland is irrigated.
According to Adenipekun (2013), two issues are central to Nigeria’s
agricultural sector and food security: population dynamics reflected by
human resources needed for agricultural activities and infrastructural
facilities, reflected by physical, social and institutional infrastructure
facilities. Provision of infrastructure has been on the front burner for

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the Nigerian governments and the people of Yagba west area of Kogi
state for decades.

However, very little attention has been paid to the extent of

accessibility, and opportunity for the use of available facilities in the
rural areas (Adenipekun, 2013). Infrastructural development in parts of
rural Nigeria is slower compared to parts of urban Nigeria, while
investments in road construction, health, education and water supply,
electricity etc are the focus of the government for urban areas, the
rural area has not enjoyed commensurate infrastructural development.
This has resulted to a rapid rural-urban migration in Southwestern
Nigeria affecting agricultural activities and productivity.

Additionally, in the rural areas, inadequate infrastructure access poses

a serious threat to rural human capital. According to the World Bank
(2018), Nigeria is 96th on a scale of 100 in Human Development Index
(HDI), making her number 152 out of 157 countries. Given these
statistics, attention must shift to include human capital development
indicators such as empowerment in infrastructural development. In
recent times, there has been relative infrastructural advancement in
power, road transport as well as information communication and
technology (ICT) networks in Nigeria compared to some other countries
in West Africa.

However, the rural areas are yet to benefit fully in terms of access due
to neglect. In Nigeria, the road network condition is poor hence
impairing national connectivity; only about 15% of the rural population
have access to some form of electricity compared to 55% in the urban
area; access to improved water is about 74% for urban population

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compared to only 43% in the rural areas who depend mainly on surface
water, wells and springs (AFDB, 2013).

Furthermore, only about 20% of the existing 197,000km existing roads

are accessible or paved, while up to 70% are in a deplorable state
(AFDB, 2013). Currently, power transmission is national in scope, but
quality of supply is low across the country, out of the installed capacity
of about 12,522MV as of 2018, only 4,103 power is being sent out
(Onuoha, 2019). Also worrisome is the privatization of the Nigerian
electricity sector which has the tendencies to reduce access to
electricity since the supply of power to consumer has become a
profit /business venture rather than a public good or social service to
people.

Infrastructure access has been commonly acknowledged as a factor

limiting farmers productivity in Yagba West local government area of
Kogi state productive economic opportunities. Policy and decision
makers on provision of infrastructural facilities often do not pay
attention to farmer’s labour, hence overlooking the effect and
implication of infrastructure on farmer’s capabilities (Koolwal& Van de
Walle, 2013).

The dearth of infrastructure, bad roads to transport their goods from

the farms to the market, poor access to health facilities, poor access to
water, inadequate storage facilities for their produce amongst others,
have consistently hampered their productivity and other survival
strategies which led to this study.

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1.3 Research Questions
This research sets out to provide answers to the following pertinent
questions:
i. To what extent does rural infrastructure have effects on farmers
productivity in Yagba west local government area?
ii. What is the impact of infrastructural facilities on the productivity of
farmers in Yagba west local government area?
iii. How do you determine the level of access to infrastructure on the
productivity in Yagba west local government area?
iv. What are the factors affecting farmers’ access to infrastructural facilities
in Yagba west local government area?

1.4 Purpose of the Study

The broad purpose of this study is to critically examine the effects of

rural infrastructures on farmer’s productivity in Yagba west Local
Government Area of Kogi State as the study area. The specific
objectives of this study tend:

i. To determine the extent of rural infrastructure productivity in Yagba

west local government area
ii. To examine the effect of the infrastructural facilities on the productivity
of farmers in Yagba west local government area
iii. To determine the level of access to infrastructural facilities in Yagba
west local government area
iv. To examine the factors affecting farmers’ access to infrastructural
facilities in Yagba west local government area.

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1.5 Significance of the Study

Given the role agriculture plays in the Nigerian economy, no significant

socio-economic transformation can occur in the absence of improved
and sustainable agricultural production. Agricultural productivity
increase induced by institutional support must be in place, other farm
level inputs should also be given adequate attention to fast-track and
sustain progress, expansion and growth in the country. Therefore, this
study provides information on the effects of rural infrastructures on
farmer’s productivity in Yagba west local government area of Kogi
State.

This will provide agricultural policy makers with insights into the various
elements and inputs affecting farmer’s performance vis-a-vis giving
pointers to government on where efforts should be concentrated for
sustainable agricultural gains in Yagba west local government area,
Kogi state and Nigeria at large.

The study also provides micro level rural farmers infrastructure access
information which can be deployed at the macro level for necessary
collective action towards policy formulation for national growth and
development.

Finally, efforts must also be concentrated on increasing empowerment

among farmers. This is to ensure productivity and sustainable
agriculture given the key role farmers in Yagba local government area
of kogi state play in most agricultural activities within the state and
beyond. For instance, making resources required to produce, process

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 and market food products available and accessible and could increase
outputs on the farms by up to 30 percent.

The study will also be of important as the provision of infrastructure is

a necessary pre-requisite for policy formulation that will aid the much
needed increase in the productivity of farm produce which is one of the
strategic plans in the Nigeria’s transformational agenda. The present
study/paper will contribute to relevant literature by testing the
significance of infrastructure among a set of other variables in the
determination of the overall goodness of a model.

Finally, this work is useful to scholars and students who may wish to
carry out further research on the effects of rural infrastructures on
farmer’s productivity in Yagba west local government area of Kogi
State.

1.6 Scope and Limitations of the Study

Having made a feasibility evaluation on the research topic, and to save

time, resources and to have more accurate and reliable data, the
research focused on on the effects of rural infrastructures on farmer’s
productivity in Nigeria. The Scope of this work is limited to Yagba west
local government area of Kogi State.

The research work is not devoid of problems. The project work could
have been more elaborate but due to some constraints, the researcher
encountered. Those obvious constraints are the factors responsible for
the limitations of this study. Such factors include:

a. Finance: The amount of cash at the researcher’s disposal for the

execution of this research was insufficient.
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 b. Time Constraint: The stress of combing research work with other
academic activities was not easy to cope with. The time frame of
writing a project of one year is not enough.

c. Data Collection: The accessibility to some essential information for

instance, questionnaires were answered falsely.

1.7 Organization of the Study

In any research work, organization of chapters is conventional for the

presentation of chapters as it will help for proper digestion of ideas in
the study. As a result of this, this research work consists of five (5)
chapters.

Chapter one gives a general introduction of the research work,

highlights the statement of the research problem, research objectives
or purpose, put some succinct research questions, defined the scope of
the study, the significance of the study, and defined key concepts and
finally the organization of the work.

Chapter two deals entirely with the review of related literature and the
theoretical framework, here relevant scholarly works to the research
were thoroughly revised.

The third chapter deals with methods adopted in carrying out this
research work. Specifically, the researcher would outline the research
design, sample design, measuring instrument, processing of data,
validity and secondary data are the broad elements discussed in this
chapter.
Chapter four deals with the interpretation and analysis of the research
proposition.
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 Finally, chapter five summarizes and concludes the research work as
well as gives out relevant recommendations.

1.8 Definition of Terms

 Accessibility: In agriculture refers to the ability of farmers,

particularly smallholder and marginalized farmers, to access essential
resources, services, and markets to improve their agricultural
productivity and livelihoods.
 Agricultural development: Refers to the process of improving the
productivity, efficiency, and sustainability of agricultural systems,
leading to increased food security, economic growth, and improved
livelihoods for farmers and rural communities.
 Economic Growth: This simply refers to an increase in the production
of goods and services in a country or region over a specific period of
time. The definition and measurement of economic growth may vary
depending on the context and specific goals.
 Effect: Refers to the result or outcome of a particular action, set of
circumstances, or cause. It is the consequence or impact of something
that has happened or been done.
 Facilities: Refer to the physical structures, buildings, equipment, and
resources necessary for the operation and management of an
organization, business, or institution.
 Farm Products: This refers to the result of agricultural activities,
including farming, ranching, and aquaculture. They are essential for
human consumption, animal feed, and industrial uses, and play a
significant role in the global economy and food security.

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 Farm: A farm is an area of land, including buildings and other
structures, used for agricultural production, such as: Crop cultivation
(grains, fruits, vegetables, etc.), livestock rearing (cattle, poultry, pigs,
etc.), dairy farming, aquaculture (fish and other aquatic animals) and
apiculture (bees and honey production)
 Farmers' Productivity: Refers to the efficiency and effectiveness of
farmers in producing crops, livestock, or other agricultural products,
measured by the quantity and quality of output per unit of input
(resources, labor, land, etc.).
 Farmers: This are individuals or groups who cultivate, grow, and
harvest crops, raise livestock, or produce other agricultural products for
food, fiber, or other purposes. They are the primary producers of food
and other essential products, and play a vital role in maintaining food
security, supporting local economies, and preserving rural communities.
 Infrastructural facilities: Refer to the essential systems and
structures that support the functioning of a society, economy, or
organization. These facilities are crucial for the provision of basic
services, economic growth, and development.
 Infrastructure: Refers to the underlying systems and structures that
support the operation of a society, economy, or organization. It
includes the physical and organizational frameworks that enable the
provision of essential services, facilitate economic activity, and connect
people and communities.
 Profitability: Refers to the ability of a business or investment to
generate earnings that exceed its costs, resulting in a profit. It
measures the efficiency and effectiveness of a company's operations,
management, and financial performance.

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 Rural Area: This is an area is a geographic region located outside of
urban areas, characterized by: low population density, limited economic
development, predominance of agricultural and natural resource-based
activities, scattered settlements and small towns and limited access to
services, infrastructure, and amenities.
 Rural Infrastructure: Refers to the basic systems and structures that
support the economic, social, and environmental development of rural
areas. These areas are typically characterized by lower population
densities, limited access to resources, and unique challenges compared
to urban areas.
 Social Development: Refers to the process of improving the well-
being and quality of life of individuals, communities, and society as a
whole.
 Social infrastructure: Refers to the physical structures, facilities,
and services that support the social and economic well-being of a
community, foster social connections, and promote quality of life.

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