“Hunger Can't Wait in Nigeria”: An Analysis of Crop Production in Relation to Population Explosion

Abstract

“Hunger can't wait was a bumper sticker inscribed on a car plate”. What is the message this sticker is trying to convey to us? This paper examines issues bordering on population explosion in relation to the production capacity in of some crops grown in the country which is grossly inadequate, thereby bringing about hunger to the populace. The environmental indices such as edaphic, inclement and vagaries of weather conditions that have affected the production of some food crops and livestock which also have consequently affected their consumption, cost of purchasing these food stuff in the market, eating habit, malnutrition, inadequate balance diet, problems of storage facilities, and more recently, the problems of kidnapping, insurgency, terrorism, armed banditry as they affect food and animal production in the country. Data for this study were obtained from various secondary sources, such as the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Annual Bulletin, Food and Agricultural Organization Year Book (FAO), and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Nigeria. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as percentages, graphical illustrations, as well as, Pearson Moment Correlation which is an inferential statistics used to show relationship between the population figures and the crop yields per kilogramme/Hectares where applicable , especially the trend analysis. The results showed the trends in the production of the available data on cash and food crops yields per kilogram/ hectares. The results show that the crops grown were grossly inadequate with the teeming population. The results also show that there exist both positive and negative significant relationship between the population and the crop yields.