BEYOND THE AGRICULTURE CENSUS REPORT…(1)

The NASC census offers an insight into the state and structure of agriculture across the nation

After 30 years of information and knowledge gap in a critical sector of the economy, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has published a survey of agricultural activities in the country conducted across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Titled, ‘National Agricultural Sample Census (NASC) Report 2022’, it detailed the various agricultural practices being carried out by Nigerian households across the country. That the report came when Nigeria’s food inflation rate hit a record high of 40.87 per cent in June 2024, surpassing the previous month’s 40.66 increase, should not be lost on the authorities. Agora Policy, a think tank that focuses on development and governance, has released a paper which highlights some of the key issues from the census report while providing data on resource management, labour dynamics, and diverse agricultural activities at the household level that are useful for policymakers in Nigeria.

The NASC survey, conducted using digitised enumeration area maps, marks a significant milestone. Even though the exercise is supposed to be carried out every five to 10 years in line with the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) standards, the NBS last agricultural census was done in 1993/1994. But the new report provides comprehensive information on the size, land use, structure of farm holding, crop production, livestock, poultry, fisheries activities, and agricultural inputs. “Ït offers invaluable insights into our very foundation of our agricultural sector”, said Statistician-General of the Federation and NBS Chief Executive of Officer, Adeyemi Adeniran. “This year’s results are alarming: approximately 22 million Nigerians will face food insecurity in 2023, and around 80-82 million are at risk of severe food insecurity by 2030,” said the FAO humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria on the implications of the figures released.

According to the report, about 40.2 million agriculture households across the country are involved in agricultural practices. Kano State is ranked the highest with about 2.4 million agricultural households followed by Kaduna State with about two million. Bayelsa State recorded the least with 0.34 million agricultural households. Besides, the report revealed that about 26.7 per cent of the households have five-six members, while 14 per cent have just one-two members. And of the 91 per cent of agricultural households that cultivated crops, only 48 per cent reported raising any livestock. 

The survey also found that 16 per cent of the households raised 58 million cattle, 41.2 per cent about 124 million goats, 42.5 per cent of poultry (most commonly chickens), while only 5 per cent practised fisheries. Lagos State recorded the lowest percentage of agricultural households in crop cultivation, while Ebonyi had the highest with 99.5 per cent. Similarly, Jigawa had the highest percentage of agricultural households engaged in livestock production followed by Bauchi while the highest percentage of agricultural households was recorded in Benue with 65.2 per cent, closely followed by Ebonyi with 63.3 per cent. In addition, about 16 per cent of the agricultural households in the country are headed by females, while the majority are headed by male. The exception to this, according to the survey, are states like Anambra and Enugu, where there were relatively high numbers of female-headed households. 

Furthermore, most of the heads of households are aged 35-44 years; followed by those aged 45-54 years. The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari noted that the NASC census sets a new data collection and analysis benchmark and offers an unprecedented insight into the state and structure of agriculture across the nation. Indeed, Kyari’s colleague and Minister of State, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi is apt to say that the most significant thing about the data “is that the government can now measure, and whatever you can measure you can manage.”

· To be concluded tomorrow