Impact of Shell and Exxonmobil’s Operations on Agricultural Production and Food Security in the Niger Delta Region, Nigeria, 1958-2021

The study examines the environmental and socio-economic consequences of the operations of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) and the impacts on the agricultural sector and food security in the Niger Delta region, Nigeria, from 1958 to 2021. With a specific objective of assessing agricultural production and local food supply in the pre-oil era and the extant time, the study utilized a multidisciplinary approach that integrates historical analysis, environmental science and political ecology by tracing the trajectory of the region from a self-sufficient agrarian economy to one defined by ecological degradation and food dependency. A mixed-design approach that combined qualitative and quantitative research techniques was employed to collect primary data from fieldwork and in-depth interviews, while existing scholarly resources, companies’ disclosures and government reports formed the secondary data that were synthesized to obtain key findings. Findings reveal that oil spills, toxic emissions and deforestation caused largely by the operations of the two major International Oil Companies (IOCs) cause persistent contamination of land and water bodies, which results in a significant decline in crop yields and fish catch, leaving the residents of the resource-rich region to rely on imported expensive, processed foods. The study further assessed the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of both IOCs, depicting them as "tokenistic" measures that fail to address the structural loss of livelihoods. The research concludes that the lack of stringent environmental safety enforcement and the ineffective industry’s regulatory and governance framework have dispossessed local communities of their primary and natural productive capital assets.

agricultural production, food security, Niger Delta, oil exploration and production

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