Book chapter · 2021
Agriculture Business Problems: Analysis of Research and Probable Solutions in Africa
In Opportunities and Strategic Use of Agribusiness Information Systems, Advances in Business Information Systems and Analytics, pp. 33–58, IGI Global · Published
Summary
Strang et al. (2021) conducted a retrospective critical literature review of empirical agriculture studies (2015–2020, supplemented with older articles), heavily weighted toward Nigeria, to examine what hinders agriculture advancement and information systems adoption by farmers in West Africa. They identified lack of modern-method training, corrupt input dissemination, poor infrastructure, terrorism-driven insecurity, lack of credit and weak strategic planning as the key problems, and reported only weak evidence of significant information system use in agriculture. In the reviewed literature, attitude change was the most frequent subject focus (22.58%), followed by training (16.94%); no new data were collected.
Practical implication. For government and extension professionals, the authors propose integrated training, knowledge sharing and attitude change, plus government-led infrastructure, technology provision and anti-corruption efforts, as probable solutions to West Africa’s agriculture problems.
- The Problem
- Agriculture in West Africa, and Nigeria in particular, is held back by problems that the fragmented empirical literature has not synthesized.
- The Methodology
- Retrospective critical literature review of empirical agriculture studies (2015–2020) with keyword Pareto analysis, contingency analysis by level of analysis and subject, and cross-case synthesis; no new data collected.
- The Core Finding
- A critical review of 2015–2020 empirical studies identifies lack of modern-method training, corrupt input dissemination, poor infrastructure, terrorism-driven insecurity, lack of credit and weak strategic planning as the key problems, and finds only weak evidence of significant information-system use in agriculture.
- The Citation
- Strang, K. D., Che, F. N., & Vajjhala, N. R. (2021). Agriculture Business Problems: Analysis of Research and Probable Solutions in Africa. In Opportunities and Strategic Use of Agribusiness Information Systems (pp. 33–58). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-4849-3.ch003
The summary, key findings, methods, implications and relevance notes on this page are this website’s own description of the chapter, written from the published abstract and text. The official abstract and citation details are given further down.
Key findings
- Finding 1. The chapter's contingency analysis of agriculture problem literature found that 50.81% of studies used a combination of levels of analysis, versus 20.97% at industry, 14.52% at macro and 13.71% at micro (farm) level.
- Finding 2. In the reviewed agriculture literature, attitude change was the most frequent subject focus (22.58%), followed by training (16.94%), social culture (9.68%), infrastructure (8.87%) and knowledge sharing (8.87%).
- Finding 3. The authors calculated that approximately 40% of the reviewed agriculture papers addressed psychology-domain subjects, namely attitude change and training.
- Finding 4. The chapter cites evidence that African countries met 89% of food production requirements in the 1960s but only 75% by 2000, with continued decline in some West African countries.
- Finding 5. The review reports that Nigeria's bulk wheat import-to-export ratio is growing at an unsustainable 11% annual rate, and that some rural Nigerian farmers earn the equivalent of only $1 USD per day.
- Finding 6. The review notes that popular American software adoption models do not function well in rural Nigerian agricultural settings because of language barriers, socio-cultural differences, perceived limited choices and lack of best-practice knowledge.
- Finding 7. The authors found only weak evidence of significant information system use in West African agriculture, attributing it to a lack of farmer training and of time for strategic planning.
Source: Strang et al. (2021), In Opportunities and Strategic Use of Agribusiness Information Systems, Advances in Business Information Systems and Analytics, pp. 33–58, IGI Global. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-4849-3.ch003
The chapter in detail
What question does this chapter answer?
What are the key problems hindering agriculture advancement and information systems adoption by farmers in West Africa, particularly Nigeria, and what probable solutions does the empirical literature suggest?
What did the chapter find, in detail?
A critical review of empirical agriculture literature from 2015–2020 found that about half the studies (50.81%) spanned multiple levels of analysis and roughly 40% addressed psychology-domain subjects, led by attitude change (22.58%) and training (16.94%). Key problems included lack of modern-method training, corrupt and broken input dissemination, poor infrastructure and logistics, insecurity from terrorism, lack of credit and weak strategic planning, with only weak evidence of significant information system use in agriculture.
Why does it matter?
The authors propose integrating training, knowledge sharing and attitude change – including via social media – and combining infrastructure, technology provision and anti-corruption efforts led by government as probable solutions. Their keyword themes and conceptual models are intended for agriculture software developers, practitioners, extension professionals and researchers, and they recommend mixed-methods studies that pair empirical evidence with problem-solving by local subject matter experts.
This study is part of the evidence overview What is holding back Nigerian agriculture and farm technology adoption? Evidence from extension workers and farmer surveys
Methods and data
| Research question | What hinders agriculture productivity and information systems adoption in West Africa, and what are probable solutions? |
|---|---|
| Design | Retrospective critical literature review with conceptual modeling; no new data collected |
| Data | Peer-reviewed empirical studies of agriculture and food security problems, 2015–2020, supplemented with older articles; focus on Nigeria |
| Methods | Keyword thematic (Pareto) analysis, contingency analysis by level of analysis and subject, cross-case subject analysis and literature topic synthesis |
| Main result | Attitude change (22.58%) and training (16.94%) dominate the literature; 50.81% of studies used combined levels of analysis; only weak evidence of information system use |
| Implication | Integrated training, knowledge sharing and attitude change plus government-led infrastructure, technology provision and anti-corruption efforts |
| Citation | Strang et al. (2021) · DOI 10.4018/978-1-7998-4849-3.ch003 |
Definitions and key terms
- Extension worker
- An experienced farmer, selected and hired by the government to mentor and train local farmers, using their credibility as a farmer to approach their clients (the chapter's own definition). — as used in Strang et al. (2021)
- Food insecurity
- A situation in which people lack reliable access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food; the chapter describes Nigeria as in a food security crisis for the last 10 years. — as used in Strang et al. (2021)
- Pareto analysis
- A prioritization technique that identifies the small share of items (here the top 20% of phrases) that account for most of the occurrences (at least 80%). — as used in Strang et al. (2021)
Abstract
Researchers need to investigate global life-threatening problems tied to agriculture such as food insecurity and malnutrition pandemics. This chapter reviews empirical fact-based state-of-the-art literature underlying the agri-business adoption barriers and the agriculture food insecurity crises. The authors focus their effort on identifying the hot spots of global agriculture problems, in developing nations. They use critical analysis to identify the most pressing issues and controversies surrounding West Africa. They then explore empirical literature suggesting possible remedies and future research needs to resolve the agriculture problems, in a way that these concepts would generalize globally and be of interest to other scholars. They produce several conceptual models to assist future agriculture research scholars including keyword thematic diagrams, cross-case subject analysis, topic contingency analysis, and literature topic synthesis. They then focus on probable solutions and they create several conceptual models to summarize those. They close with recommendations for future research.
Abstract as published in Opportunities and Strategic Use of Agribusiness Information Systems.
Limitations and open questions
- The chapter is a retrospective literature review and critical analysis; no new data were collected.
- The analysis was heavily weighted toward Nigeria and focused on issues discussed more often in the literature; frequency of a subject reflects research quantity, not the significance of the problem or quality of research.
- The review is only a beginning step in identifying constraints on information system adoption in Nigeria and West Africa; the authors recommend further mixed-method empirical studies.
Open questions
- Which culturally adapted technology adoption models predict software use better than Western models in rural West Africa?
Open questions from the evidence overview Agriculture, food security and farm information systems.
Practical implications
- Government would lead the infrastructure, technology provision and anti-corruption efforts that the authors propose, alongside integrated training, knowledge sharing and attitude change, including via social media, as probable solutions to West Africa’s agriculture problems.
- For extension professionals and practitioners, the authors attribute the weak evidence of significant information system use in West African agriculture to a lack of farmer training and of time for strategic planning.
- For researchers and agriculture software developers, the review notes that popular American software adoption models do not function well in rural Nigerian agricultural settings because of language barriers, socio-cultural differences, perceived limited choices and lack of best-practice knowledge.
- Researchers should, the authors recommend, run mixed-methods studies that pair empirical evidence with problem-solving by local subject matter experts.
Drawn from Strang et al. (2021), In Opportunities and Strategic Use of Agribusiness Information Systems, Advances in Business Information Systems and Analytics, pp. 33–58, IGI Global.
When this research may be relevant
This chapter may be relevant to researchers reviewing agribusiness and food security problems in West Africa and Nigeria, barriers to agricultural information systems adoption, the role of training, attitude change, infrastructure and corruption, and systematic mapping of agricultural development literature.
Research topics addressed: agriculture; agribusiness; food security; food insecurity crisis; West Africa; Nigeria; literature review; agricultural information systems adoption; agricultural extension workers; corruption; Boko Haram terrorism; farmer training; smallholder farmers; Pareto analysis
How to cite
- APA 7
- Strang, K. D., Che, F. N., & Vajjhala, N. R. (2021). Agriculture Business Problems: Analysis of Research and Probable Solutions in Africa. In Opportunities and Strategic Use of Agribusiness Information Systems (pp. 33–58). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-4849-3.ch003
- MLA 9
- Strang, Kenneth David, et al. “Agriculture Business Problems: Analysis of Research and Probable Solutions in Africa.” Opportunities and Strategic Use of Agribusiness Information Systems, IGI Global, 2021, pp. 33–58. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-4849-3.ch003.
- IEEE
- K. D. Strang, F. N. Che, and N. R. Vajjhala, “Agriculture Business Problems: Analysis of Research and Probable Solutions in Africa,” in Opportunities and Strategic Use of Agribusiness Information Systems. IGI Global, 2021, pp. 33–58, doi: 10.4018/978-1-7998-4849-3.ch003.
BibTeX
@incollection{strang2021agriculture,
title = {Agriculture Business Problems: Analysis of Research and Probable Solutions in Africa},
author = {Strang, Kenneth David and Che, Ferdinand Ndifor and Vajjhala, Narasimha Rao},
booktitle = {Opportunities and Strategic Use of Agribusiness Information Systems},
series = {Advances in Business Information Systems and Analytics},
pages = {33--58},
year = {2021},
publisher = {IGI Global},
doi = {10.4018/978-1-7998-4849-3.ch003},
url = {https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-4849-3.ch003}
}RIS
TY - CHAP TI - Agriculture Business Problems: Analysis of Research and Probable Solutions in Africa AU - Strang, Kenneth David AU - Che, Ferdinand Ndifor AU - Vajjhala, Narasimha Rao T2 - Opportunities and Strategic Use of Agribusiness Information Systems T3 - Advances in Business Information Systems and Analytics PY - 2021 DA - 2021 SP - 33 EP - 58 PB - IGI Global SN - 9781799848493 DO - 10.4018/978-1-7998-4849-3.ch003 UR - https://www.narasimharao.net/research/agriculture-business-problems-solutions-west-africa-nigeria/ LA - en ER -
Reprinted in Research Anthology on Strategies for Achieving Agricultural Sustainability (IGI Global, 2022), DOI 10.4018/978-1-6684-5352-0.ch063.
Links and files
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-4849-3.ch003
- This page as text: https://www.narasimharao.net/research/agriculture-business-problems-solutions-west-africa-nigeria/paper.md
- Permanent address of this page: https://www.narasimharao.net/research/agriculture-business-problems-solutions-west-africa-nigeria/
Related work
Related work: the literature this chapter cites
The chapter draws on literature reporting that Nigeria imports more wheat, rice and sugar than its farmers grow[1], that the bulk wheat import-to-export ratio is growing at an unsustainable 11% a year[2], and that food insecurity affected over 90 million citizens in 2017–2018[3]. Cited development reports describe dilapidated rural roads, failed Vision 20:2020 infrastructure projects, weak agricultural policy and poor coordination between levels of government[4]. Earlier work reported that the Growth Enhancement Scheme delivered inputs through the extension system, often free or heavily subsidized[5]. Earlier work linked credit shortages to lack of collateral, high interest rates, low financial literacy and complex banking procedures[6], and found that a stronger extension-worker presence was associated with higher farmer productivity[7]. The cited work warns that farmers view training positively but often find its content irrelevant[8]. Conflict research is cited for the effect of kidnapping and insecurity on farmer behaviour[9], and rural transport research for farmers’ reliance on motorcycles and bicycles over 5–10 km a day[10].
- [1] Fawole, W.O. and Ozkan, B. (2018), “Food insecurity risks perception and management strategies among households: implications for zero hunger target in Nigeria”, New Medit, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 29-42,. https://doi.org/10.30682/nm1802c
- [2] Omeje, E.E., Arene, C.J. and Okpukpara, C.B. (2019), “Impact of agricultural protection on agricultural growth in Nigeria: political economy perspective (1980-2016)”, Review of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Vol. 22 No. 1, p. 41.
- [3] Olomola AS and Nwafor M (2018) Nigeria Agriculture Sector Performance Review. Lagos, Nigeria: Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER): International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
- [4] AfDB (2013), Federal Republic of Nigeria Country Strategy Paper 2013-2017, Africa Development Bank/Africa Development Fund (AfDB), Nairobi.
- [5] Omorinre, A. K., Osanyinlusi, O. I., Amoke, A. B., Olusola, O. A., & Isaiah, O. A. (2018). The growth enhancement support scheme: Productivity and shortcomings among rice farmers in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Acta Universitatis Danubius: Oeconomica, 14(3), 200.
- [6] Michael, A., Giroh, Y. D., Polycarp, M., & Ashindo, Z. E. (2018). Analysis of rural farm households’ access to formal agricultural credit in Yola south local government area, Adamawa state, Nigeria. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, 66(4), 947–954. https://doi.org/10.11118/actaun201866040947
- [7] Adetimehin OD, Okunlola JO and Owolabi KE (2018) Utilization of agricultural information and knowledge for improved production by rice farmers in Ondo State, Nigeria. Journal of Rural Social Sciences 33(1): 76.
- [8] Kazeem, A. A., Dare, A., Olalekan, O., Abiodun, S. E., & Komolafe, T. L. (2017). Attitudes of farmers to extension trainings in Nigeria: Implications for adoption of improved agricultural technologies in Ogun state southwest region. Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 62(4), 423–443. https://doi.org/10.2298/JAS1704423K
- [9] Adelaja, A., & George, J. (2019). Effects of conflict on agriculture: Evidence from the Boko Haram insurgency. World Development, 117, 184–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.01.010
- [10] Idowu EO, Ayanwale AB, Rabirou K, et al. (2012) Effect of rural transportation system on agricultural productivity in Oyo State, Nigeria. Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics 113(1): 13.
From the evidence overview What is holding back Nigerian agriculture and farm technology adoption? Evidence from extension workers and farmer surveys, which cites only works that appear in the studies’ own reference lists. This is a selection, not the full reference list of Strang et al. (2021).
Related research
Related publications on agriculture, food security and farm information systems
Extension workers representing about 900 rural farmers in Northeast Nigeria identified six core failures of government support, among them input quality and dissemination, fair subsidization, training, market facilitation and corruption.
Extension workers from three local government areas of Adamawa State confirmed themes from the literature and added new ones, showing that rural farmers face significant problems with government support in six areas: farm input quality and dissemination, fair input subsidization, training, market facilitation, corruption and insecurity.
Structural equation modelling of 97 Jos Plateau farm owners, managers and labourers showed that confirmation experience significantly drove satisfaction (path = 0.524) and perceived usefulness (path = 0.383), yet no factor significantly predicted continuance intention, which was uniformly very high.
In a survey of 105 farm owners, managers and labourers on the Jos Plateau, only marital status, gender and language correlated with FMIS e-adoption; age, education, land size and software experience did not, and a discriminant model using the three significant factors was statistically significant (p = .014).
A focus group of extension workers representing about 900 farmers produced a significant two-dimension model of solutions, ranking affordable seeds and fertilizer, modern farming training, market information, roads and transport, affordable credit and agricultural mentors as the most strategically urgent.