Policy Interventions and Public Expenditure Reform for Pro-Poor Agricultural Development in Nigeria

In Nigeria, agriculture and poverty are closely interlinked because poverty is higher in rural areas where agriculture is most practiced. As a result, changes in public policy and expenditure to agriculture can make a significant contribution to achieving poverty reduction and broader Millennium Development Goals. This requires a set of public actions and investments to foster broad-based growth in agriculture and other forms of rural enterprise. This paper reviews policy and expenditure reforms in Nigerian agriculture, what has driven these reforms, and the main areas of debate that are likely to be germane to transformation agenda of the present Government.