<b>“Government is not interested in our Welfare": Farmers’ Perception on Agricultural Transportation System in Imo State, Nigeria</b>

Abstract

This aim of this paper is to present an analysis of the state of current transportation infrastructure in agricultural producing areas of Imo state identifying the problems associated with it, focusing on socio-economic and political issues related to rural-urban movement of agricultural produce. This study was carried out in Imo state and involved two methods, semi-structured Interviews and questionnaires. 79 semi-structured Interviews were conducted with the stakeholders who are the consumers, farmers, traders, transporters. 30 open- and closed-ended questionnaires were responded to by different levels of government officials in the ministry. Regarding the availability of transport infrastructure to support agriculture, there was a 100% agreement from the farmers, consumers, traders and transporters that there is very little available infrastructure in their locality contrary to the views of the Ministries of Transport, Agriculture and Commerce and Industry who negated this assertion. Regarding the prioritization of policy in development plans, the interviews revealed that the government effort is shared equally between the rural and urban areas but the rural dwellers think otherwise. There was 100% agreement from the traders, consumers, farmers and transporters that government efforts have been focused in the urban areas with very little
development in their rural settings. This paper suggests ways of improving transportation infrastructure provision in the state by assessing needs of those locals involved in the production and distribution of agricultural produce. This assessment justifies the need for transportation infrastructure provision via the potential economic gain of the state which can be achieved via the better movement of agricultural produce. This paper links the theory and practise of agricultural transportation in Imo state and stresses the need for prioritisation of transportation infrastructure provision in the state. This connection encourages/incites government towards provision for the needs of the local areas and away from its current ‘policy without facts’ common in transportation infrastructure provision.

Keywords: Rural transport, Agricultural agents, Policy, Transport infrastructure, Rural roads