Agriculture involves cultivating the land, raising and raising animals, in order to produce food for man, feed for animals and raw materials for industries. It involves forestry, fishing, processing and marketing of these agricultural products. Essentially, it is made up of agricultural production, livestock, forestry, and fishing.

Agriculture is the mainstay of many economies. Throughout the world, the development of a durable economy goes hand in hand with agricultural development, which is why Nigeria needs to exploit its various agricultural resources to their fullest potential to accelerate their quest and efforts to achieve sustainable economic development. .

Agriculture is considered a catalyst for the general development of any nation; Development economists have always assigned the agricultural sector a central place in the development process; early development theorists, while emphasizing industrialization, relied on agriculture to provide the necessary production of food and raw materials, along with the labor force. which would gradually be absorbed by the industry. and services sector. Much later, thought brought agriculture to the forefront of the development process; hopes for a technical change in agriculture and the “green revolution” suggested agriculture as the dynamo and magic wand for economic growth and development.

The industrial revolution of the 19th century that catapulted the agrarian economies of most European countries received its stimulus from agriculture; The sector in recent history has also worked a tremendous miracle in countries such as Mexico, India, Brazil, Peru, the Philippines and China, where the Green Revolution was one of the great success stories. In fact, the importance of agriculture in the economy of any nation cannot be overemphasized, for example, in the United States of America, agriculture contributes approximately 1.1% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

The above statistics indicated that the more developed a country is, the lower the contribution of agriculture to the Gross Domestic Product. Diversification of the economy is an economic development strategy characterized by increasing the number of the income base of an economy. The Nigerian economy is a monocultural economy that relies on crude oil as its main source of income, so it is critical that the government no longer believes that oil provides an inexhaustible source of income.

As a matter of priority, the Nigerian government should encourage the rapid diversification of the Nigerian economy, as this is the only sustainable way to survive the current environment of global economic uncertainty of volatility and shocks in international oil prices, unfavorable quota system and exhaustion.

Therefore, the diversification of the agricultural sector is suggested for Nigeria as a developing economy in order to ensure food and nutrition security, income and employment generation, poverty alleviation and encourage industrialization, relieve pressure on the balance. of payments, a reliable source of public income and the general economic development of the country.

Before the political crisis of 1967-1970, the positive contributions of agriculture to the economy were critical to maintaining economic growth and stability. Most of the demand for food was met by domestic production, thus avoiding the need to use scarce foreign exchange resources to import food.

The stable growth of agricultural exports formed the backbone of a favorable trade balance. Sustainable amounts of capital were raised from the agricultural sector through the imposition of various taxes and the accumulation of marketing surpluses, which were used to finance many development projects, such as the construction and construction of the Ahmadu Bello University (Zaria) and the first house cocoa-skyscraper of Nigeria. in Ibadan. The sector, which employed 71% of the total labor force in 1960, employed only 56% in 1977, the number was 68% in 1980, falling to 55% in 1986, 1987 and 1988; and 57% annually from 1989 to 1992, and has continued to plummet until the 2000s as a result of the sector’s negligence.

To get on the path of modern development, Nigeria would need to examine what factors hindered the development of its agricultural sector, which was the backbone of the Nigerian economy before the oil boom era. You should rectify the mistakes you have made in more than 54 years by putting these strategic plans into action immediately. The people of Nigeria can lift themselves out of poverty and distress by eradicating corruption and dedicating themselves to fighting for progress.

The 2020: 20 initiative will keep Nigeria focused on improving its economy and, combined with a significant effort to reduce food imports and increase food production within its own country, Nigeria may witness a timely shift in its investment. Nigeria has the necessary components to return to an economy based on agriculture. Research has shown that a return to an agricultural economy is not only possible, it will greatly benefit the entire country of Nigeria.

To achieve sustainable economic development and lift the latent and ever-diminishing contribution of the agricultural sector, Nigeria must have some recommended prerequisite diversification policies, such as providing financial resources to the sector to make it function; A combination of government subsidies, high-yielding seedlings and improved breeds for private companies and small farmers producing up to 85% of the sector’s agricultural output is needed to boost the agricultural market.

There is also a need to review the current import and export regulations to make it more compelling for other countries to accept agricultural products from Nigeria. It is an established fact that, with a population of more than 170 million, vast arable lands, a favorable climate and soil, Nigeria has the productive resources necessary for the agricultural sector to be strongly welcomed as an engine for development. sustainable economic.

Therefore, it is plausible that Nigeria is diversifying into the agricultural market in its effort to become more self-sustaining and to be recognized as one of the world’s economic powers.