Government Agricultural Support Projects: Implications on Job Creation in Rivers State

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue XII, December 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Government Agricultural Support Projects: Implications on Job Creation in Rivers State

Godwin Uzochukwu Nosiri, Alwell Nteegah, Monday Robinson and Ijeoma Kalu
Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria
*Corresponding author

Abstract: This paper examined the implications of selected government agricultural support projects on job creation in Rivers State. Specifically, it examined the contributions of Risonpalm Estate (now SIART NIG. LTD), School-to-Land Programme and Songhai Farm all in Rivers state on rural employment. In order to achieve the objectives of the paper, a cross-sectional research design, using survey method was adopted and combinations of descriptive and inferential statistics were used for the analysis of the responses generated using a well-structured questionnaire. The findings revealed that government agricultural projects/supports to farmers have helped to create more jobs in the host communities thereby contributed to improving living conditions of the people in the host communities and the state at large. Based on these findings, the study concluded that government sponsored agricultural activities/projects have contributed to employment in the rural communities in Rivers State. Thus, the paper recommends among others that government should increase support to farmers and funding to the farms, train farmers in the rural communities through extension services and renovate moribund farms in order to solve the problem of unemployment ravaging rural communities and the state at large.

Key words: Agricultural projects, Job creation and Rural communities

I. INTRODUCTION

For under-developing nations, agriculture remains spring-board on which unemployment and poverty problems could be solved. The agricultural sector is connected directly to all other macro-economic goals of modern nations (Robinson and Kalu, 2013). For instance, agriculture is considered as viable instrument for accomplishing full work-creation, increase income level, stable prices and external balance. No doubt, agriculture projects are mostly within local areas where economic improvement is massively needed. The aim is to harness cheap labour, improve farmers’ income, create self-employment and increase food and livestock production (Otto and Ukpere, 2014).

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