Comparison of the Percentage of Commercial vs Subsistence Farmers in Nigeria:
70% of Nigeria's economy is based on Agriculture. Overall, there are more subsistence farmers in Nigeria than commercial. Below are some statistics regarding each type of agriculture relating to current and past trends in Nigeria:
Commercial Agriculture in Nigeria: The main products that Nigeria sells commercially are oil palm, cocoa, fruit trees, poultry, dairy, maize and rice. One main development project that has been helping Nigeria lately is called the Commercial Agriculture Development Project, that increases ties between Nigeria and other countries by improving trade. The main objective of this project is to strengthen agricultural production systems and improve agricultural trade between Nigeria and Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, and Enugu. This project started January 15th 2009, and is set to end on May 31st, 2017. About 15% of Nigerian Farmers are commercial farmers.
Subsistence Agriculture in Nigeria: Roughly 80% of Nigeria's farmer population are subsistence farmers. Many of these farmers are being pressured to sell their land so it can be used to mine for oil, and consequently, the amount of arable land in Nigeria is decreasing rapidly. For many Nigerian families, farming is their way of life, with children working during their time off from school. Although 90% of the food subsistence farmers are producing they eat themselves, many people are still starving due to the very high birth rates and tendencies for families to have more children than their farming can provide for. In the picture to the side above, a family in Nigeria farm together.