The horticulture sector in southwest Nigeria: A political economy analysis
Authors
Horticulture in southwest Nigeria can address malnutrition and food insecurity and improve livelihoods, yet it remains underdeveloped. With Mayowa Ekundayo from PostAgvest Solutions Limited, Daniel Adeniyi and Koen Dekeyser provide a political economy analysis of the sector, seeking to identify actors and approaches that could play a role in improving horticulture in the region.
Summary
Horticulture in southwest Nigeria holds great potential to address malnutrition and food insecurity and improve livelihoods, yet it remains underdeveloped due to several structural, institutional and external factors. In this paper, we provide a political economy analysis of the sector, identifying the impact of historical neglect, reliance on oil revenues, weak institutions, rent-seeking behaviour, low farm productivity, difficult access to finance, and insufficient post-harvest development. Limited producer cooperation, poor organisation and scant sectoral coordination are defining challenges.
Recommendations for sector improvement emphasise the need for a multi-stakeholder approach driven by the private sector and civil society, with government support. We identify the relevant actors for sector improvement and share a number of engagement strategies. These should focus on enhancing productivity, facilitating access to finance, promoting knowledge sharing and improving value chain integration.
The lack of political prioritisation may be an opportunity to promote the horticulture sector in southwest Nigeria, as there are less entrenched and powerful interests that might interfere with potential sector development programmes. However, there is no single challenge to address; thus, any attempt requires a coordinated approach across the sector to maximise impact.
