Agriculture

Nationally the Agricultural sector employs about 70% of the population compared to about 18 % in the Metropolis. Agriculture is thus an important sector due the large rural settings.  A total of 50.8% of the land area in the Metropolis is estimated to be cultivable and as many as 52,000 people are estimated to be engaged in agriculture, 11% of whom are fishermen.  The average farm size is about 5 acres; however, yield per acre is comparatively low and varied. Crops produced in the Metropolis include maize, rice, cassava, etc. 

The land tenure system is still a problem as lands are largely owned by families, clans and stools.  This makes large scale farming difficult due to litigation over lands.  Most farmers also use simple tools such as hoes and cutlasses and depend largely on rainfall.  Agricultural mechanization is not practiced due largely to the woodland type of vegetation and the rolling nature of the topography.  

Feeder roads at food production centres are badly serviced and this affects the marketing of farm produce and lead to post harvest


The sector is beset with a myriad of developmental challenges that require strategic planning and concerted efforts to address them. These challenges include but are not limited to the following: ? Poor storage and marketing of the chunk of agricultural produce lead to post-harvest losses.

Loss of farmlands to human settlement.
Over-reliance on natural rains for farming activities. This is not sustainable as a result of climate change.
 The use of simple farm tools. Practically, all farm operations are done manually.
 Inadequate field agricultural extension workers.
 Inadequate funding of planned agricultural programmes.
 Lack of logistics for field activities.

There is a need for the development of irrigation facilities in the Metropolis especially in connection with vegetable production and also the expansion of feeder roads to food production centers. Also, there is the need to recruit more field staff (AEAs) to service farmers in the Metropolis.