Peasantry and Socio-Economic Development in Nigeria: A Comparative Analysis of Northern and Southern Nigeria

This paper examined Peasantry and Socio-Economic Development in Nigeria: A Comparative Analysis of Northern and Southern Nigeria. The study indicated that peasants contribute to socioeconomic development in the areas of economic exchanges and peasant production, especially in the supply of cheap labor or the process of food production. However, the findings also show that peasant production is negatively affected by the growing rise of insecurity as occasion by the activities of Boko haram and Fulani herdsmen in the North and militancy and kidnapping in the South. The paper therefore suggested that, to give the peasants a sense of belonging, government and other development partners should ensure peasants security and evolve modalities to promote the living condition of peasants with a view to providing basic social amenities and infrastructure, agricultural equipment’s, grants and soft loans, technical measures to provide higher yielding seeds, extension services, cooperatives, crop purchases and sometimes insecticides and herbicides, and fertilizers.