Effects of Budgetary Processes in Enhancing Agricultural Development in Ebonyi State

Agricultural development is important and strategic to economic and national development of Nigerian. Agriculture employs greater number of rural population; yet, it has been neglected in Ebonyi State, with little or no financial attention. Poor attention to agriculture has affected its mandates of solving food insecurity, youth unemployment, poverty, rural-urban migration, etc. Available statistics show that from 2011 to 2021, government budgets to the agricultural sector remained poor in relation to Maputo declaration, that 10% annual budgets be set aside for agricultural production. This problem becomes more worrisome as the meagre allocations were not completely released. The general objective of this study is to determine the effects of budgetary process in enhancing agricultural development in Ebonyi State. The paper was built on modernization theory to clearly show that agricultural development in Ebonyi State could be developed through increased budgetary allocations in line with Maputo declaration. Data were collected by administering 399 questionnaires to respondents, and interview of 6 key-informants, using in-depth interview method. Data from questionnaire were analysed using percentages and frequencies, while data from in-depth interview were analysed using narrative technique. Findings showed that allocation of 10% of annual budget enhances agricultural development in Ebonyi State; and reduction in food insecurity, poverty, unemployment, income inequality, and rural-urban migration are the effects of budgetary process on agricultural development in Ebonyi State. It was recommended, that Ebonyi State House of Assembly should increase agriculture budgetary allocations to 10%, to mitigate negative effects of inadequate budgetary process on agricultural development.


Introduction
Agricultural development is a multi-sectional activity that supports and promotes positive changes in the rural and urban areas. The main purposes of agricultural development are the improvement of material and social welfare of the people. As such agricultural development is viewed as same with rural development. The two concepts are different, yet essentially related.
Agricultural development is an integral part of rural development; as no rural society develops without the development of agriculture. This is because 90% of rural population engage in agricultural practice as their source of revenue (Udemezue&Osegbue, 2018).
Agricultural development is to improve the material and social welfare of Nigerian people, yet, only N40 billion was appropriated for agricultural research and development in Nigeria, in 2019 budget. The budget for agriculture was 1.8% or (N183 billion) of total budget size in 2020, far below 10% Maputo Declaration (Oyaniron, 2020). To remedy the situation, the federal government made efforts at revitalising agriculture to spur economic development by adopting agricultural policies and programmes like: Farm Settlement Scheme (FSS), in the mid-1950s, River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs), meant to ensure steady water resources for famers, Green Revolution, Agricultural Development Programmes (ADP), etc, (Ogbodo, 2019).
Despite the efforts, budgetary process has not significantly improved agricultural production in Nigeria.
Similarly, Ebonyi State government has made some interventions in agricultural development by selecting and training youths in agricultural production at Songhai Agricultural Centre in Benin Republic, providing start-off loan facility, establishment of rice mills with parboiling plants, procuring and distributing tractors to farmers for increased farm production (Ebonyi State Ministry of Agriculture, 2015). Yet, agricultural development in Ebonyi State is confronted by many challenges despite the interventions, and the budgetary allocations to the sector by the state government over the years. In 2016, agriculture received 2.16% of the total capital expenditure of N62.397 billion naira (Ebonyi State Budget, 2017). The budgetary allocation to agriculture in revised budget of N81,333,102,377.34k, only N1,879,613,815.97k or 2.31% of the revised budget was released (Ebonyi State Budget, 2020). This trend did not change in 2019, 2020, and 2021 as agriculture received budgetary allocations of 2.83%, 2.11% and 1.62% of the total budgets respectively, (Ebonyi State Budget, 2020. These allocations are not in conformity with Maputo Declaration of African Union (AU) Heads of States and Governments in 2003, which sets to achieve 6% annual growth rate of agriculture, with member nations setting aside 10% of national budget for agricultural development. This shows that agricultural development in the state has been hampered by inadequate budgetary processes, in relation to the two variables. Therefore, this paper is geared towards the examination of the effect of budgetary process in enhancing agricultural development in Ebonyi State.

Statement of the Problem
Agricultural development is important and strategic to economic and national development of Nigerian. Agriculture employs greater number of rural population, yet, it has been neglected in Ebonyi State, with little or no financial attention. Poor attention to agriculture has affected its mandates of solving food insecurity, youth unemployment, poverty, rural-urban migration, etc.
Available statistics showed that from 2011 to 2021, government budgets to agricultural sector have remained poor in relation to Maputo declaration; that 10% of annual budgets be set aside for agricultural. This problem becomes more worrisome as the meagre allocations were not completely released. In , 2012In , 2013In , 2014, the state government allocated less than 3% of the annual budgets to the agricultural sector (Ebonyi State Budget, 2011;2012;2013;2014;. In 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020N1,603,232,970;N6,153,472,000;N1,879,613,815.97;N1,301,627,684.36;and N3.7 billion respectively to agriculture. In 2021, N1,193,320,000 was allocated to agriculture (Ebonyi State Budget, 2016, 2018, 2019. This shows that budgets to agricultural sector was less than 3% in 2016 and 2017, but in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, it further declined to less than 2%, which exacerbated food insecurity, unemployment, poverty, rural-urban migration etc, which directly impinged on economic development of the state, by the insignificant contribution of agriculture to the internally generated revenue. Agriculture contributed less than 18.94% of the expected revenue in 2018, less than 1.62% in 2019, and 0.059% in 2021 (Ebonyi State Budget Performance, 2020).
Over the years, administrations in the state created some intervention policies and programmes in agriculture to upscale agricultural production. Such policies and programmes include, distribution of improved seedlings, loans and subsidies, training of farmers on improved farming methods, distribution of tractors to enhance farmers' productive capacities etc. The outcome of the programmes and policies has remained, marginal in agricultural production, thereby denying the State her desire to achieve robust agricultural development (Umahi, 2017). Therefore, it becomes pertinent to determine the effects of budgetary process in enhancing agricultural development in Ebonyi State.

Research Questions
For in-depth assessment of the research problem, the following relevant questions were pertinent.
i. How does budgetary process enhance agricultural development in Ebonyi state?
ii. What are the effects of budgetary process in enhancing agricultural development in Ebonyi State?

Objectives of the Study
The general objective of the study is to determine the effects of budgetary process in enhancing agricultural development in Ebonyi State. The specific objectives of this study are; to: i. evaluate how budgetary process enhances agricultural development in Ebonyi State.
ii. determine the effects of budgetary process on agricultural development in Ebonyi State.

Research Propositions
i. Allocation of 10% of the State annual budget can enhance agricultural development in Ebonyistate.

Budget
Budget and budgeting had been an age-long practice. Studies conducted by (Lucey, 2002), (Adams, 2004), (Lewis, 2007), and (Babalola, 2008), cited in Garuba and Oghuma (2018), showed that budget is a basic tool for aggregating the overall goals and objectives of private and public organisations by determining the likely sources of revenues, and the goals the funds will be channelled into, and allow evaluation of the performance of the people entrusted with such resources. A budget is an exhaustive plan of intended expenditure and revenue for a set period of time, mostly one year.
Budget is the most essential document government produces that drives its policy priorities.
Budget is a major political document that is at the centre of the success of every government. It identifies and targets at government annual major concerns, focus, and direction (Aliegba, 2017).
The above definitions did not significantly capture the purpose of this paper. This study defines budget as an annual financial and nonfinancial policy priorities or programmes of Ebonyi state government set out in an instrument that contains the receivable financial revenues and expenditures with the expected goals of enhancing agricultural development, that is prepared by the executive and approved by the State Assembly, and signed into law by Ebonyi State governor.

Budgetary Process
Budgetary process has been defined by many scholars such as Agunyomi (2004)   Available online also at https://www.ajpasebsu.org.ng/ https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajpas.v16i1.9 achieve certain prime objectives, like reduction in inflationary pressures to sustain growth and development, increase employment opportunities, reduce poverty, and to achieve set goals.
Therefore, in this study, budgetary process means the allocation of funds, release of funds for programmes, and its legislative oversights geared towards enhancing agricultural production as contained in the annual budgets of Ebonyi State, for agricultural development.

Development
Many scholars such as Seers (1969), Rodney (1972), Ake (1982), (Sen,1999), Ibi-Ajayi (2003), cited in Ogbodo, (2019), among others have defined development in various ways. This shows development is a concept that has generated a lot of controversy in intellectual and political discourse, as it is multi-dimensional in nature. Their divergent perspectives of the concept showed that it can be viewed from a number of angles, ranging from development as a long-term process of structural societal transformation, development as a short-to-medium term outcome of desirable targets, and development as a dominant discourse of western modernity.
Therefore, development in this study is the transformation of agriculture, the individual farmers and the farming communities in Ebonyi State from deprivation of budgetary allocation, agricultural education, research information, technology, improved seedlings, pesticides, herbicides, farm inputs, farm lands, agricultural loans and grants, to freedom of choice to access all the materials and technical know-how necessary, and required in achieving increased agricultural production in Ebonyi State; that translates to increase in farmers' income, sustenance, and overall livelihood of the communities.

Agricultural Development
With respect to agricultural development, (Ogpalo,1997), cited in Ogbodo (2019) distribution between 2 to 5%against the recommended 10 to 25% by African Union (AU) and Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) respectively. The mean and variance of budgetary allocation were, N14,043.12 million, and N421,057,420. Million respectively, while rural income inequality reduced between 1996 and 2004, when allocation increased from 0.9% to 3%.Therefore, the paper did not determine the effects of budgetary process on agricultural development in Ebonyi State.
Theoretical Framework

Modernisation Theory
This paper adopts modernisation or bourgeois political economy paradigm of Marx Weber perspective as the theoretical framework of this study. Modernisation theory originated from the ideas of German sociologist, Max Weber (1864-1920), but was further developed by Talcott Parsons . The theory is about the process of social and political changes through which the industrialised west passed through to achieve capitalist economic order and liberal  The result from the primary sources of data in this study is minimally related to the findings of previous studies in the areas of issues covered and findings. Nwibo, Umeh, Eze, Nwofoke and Mbam (2018) found that homestead farmers in Abakaliki metropolis mainly engage in the production of bitter leaf, spinach, cassava and yam, which is different from this study in the area of variables studied. The findings did not show if there is connection between budgetary allocations, releases, and oversight functions and increased production of rice as established in this study.
While, Ilo and Nwokedi (2016) found that participatory budgeting is not feasible in Nigeria.
Besides, Jacho and Salau (2015) assert that agricultural development initiatives meant to enhance food security performed marginally due to government commitment towards mass importation of agricultural production, which is slightly related to the findings of this study in the area of improved agricultural production through effective budgetary allocation and release. Okonkwo, Ukaogo, Kenechukwu, Nwanshindu and Okeagu (2021) found that rice production in Abakalikifrom 1942 to 1966 was supported by Nigerian economy in terms of foreign exchange.
This is related to the findings of this study on how increase in agricultural production can enhance economic development in Nigeria, which is a necessary condition for improved agricultural production, when agricultural development is driven by increased budgetary allocations and releases to agricultural sector in EbonyiState.
The findings from this study significantly support research proposition (1) enhances supply of improved rice and yam seedlings to farmers, enhances availability of fertilizers to rural farmers, and enhances the provision of transport and water irrigation infrastructures for farm production. Also, budget performance monitoring ensures proper use of funds allocated to the agricultural sector for improved farm production in Ebonyi State.
Specifically, findings showed that when budgetary allocation to agricultural sector is up to 10% of the annual budget of Ebonyi State, it would increase the level of agricultural mechanisation in the State, which directly leads to improved agricultural production. However, this cannot be achieved without adequate budget allocation, budget release, and budget oversight which were found very essential for agricultural development in Ebonyi State. Therefore, budgetary process enhances agricultural development in Ebonyi State, through improved budget allocation which must not be below 10% of the State annual budget in line with Maputo Declaration.
The findings of this study show that societies develop by passing through stages of evolution; these evolutional stages are based on different degrees and patterns of social differentiation and reintegration of structural and cultural components that are functionally compatible for the maintenance of the society. This is true given that when Ebonyi State government evolves from allocating less than 2% (percent) of her annual budget that had stunted agricultural development, in the state to allocating 10% percent, it would achieve modern mechanised agriculture. Thereby acquiring modern farming culture that obliterates the traditional farming culture. This modern farming culture would enhance the state economy that leads to development of the state.  Ogunyemi and Adedokun (2012) found that Nigeria's budget distribution to agriculture was very low and inconsistent as it is 2 to 5%, which is below 10% and 25% allocations recommended by AU and FOA respectively. This showed that poor allocations to agriculture reduced agricultural output in Nigeria, but the findings did not cover rice production in Ebonyi State.
The findings of this study support research proposition (II), showing that reduction in food insecurity, poverty, unemployment, income inequality, and youth rural-urban migration are the farmers' intellects on how to irrigate arid land to make it arable, how to make rice and yam nurseries, plant seedlings, apply pesticides, herbicides etc .Also, the development of means of farming, the farm practice, technology, in terms of methods of input-output applications, the farm implements, tractors, ploughs, harvesters etc, together constitute mechanised farming. The above support the assertion of modernisation theory that societies develop by passing through stages of evolution; that are based on different degrees and patterns of social differentiation and reintegration of structural and cultural components that are functionally compatible for the maintenance of the society. The findings further showed that rice and yam farm productivity can develop only when the farming practice is modernised from the use of obsolete implements to mechanised method. These, therefore validate proposition (ii).
Available online also at https://www.