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Question

Difficulty: MediumAgriculture Sector: Roles, Problems, and Development Policies

Determine whether the following statement regarding Nigerian agricultural development policies is True or False: The Farm Settlement Scheme established in Western Nigeria in 1959 was primarily designed to attract foreign direct investment into large-scale commercial plantations.

Answer: Answer

Answer

False. The Farm Settlement Scheme introduced in Western Nigeria in 1959 was aimed at absorbing educated school leavers into farming to solve youth unemployment and modernize peasant agriculture, not attracting foreign direct investment.
The statement is False. The Farm Settlement Scheme of 1959 was modeled after Israeli Moshav cooperative systems to encourage young school leavers to view farming as a lucrative, modern enterprise, thereby curbing rural-urban drift and solving youth unemployment.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the historical policy referenced and its launch context.
The Farm Settlement Scheme was initiated by the Western Regional Government of Nigeria in 1959.
Understanding the policy origin helps determine its target objectives.
2
Analyze the primary economic objective of the Farm Settlement Scheme.
The main objective was to address rural-urban migration and growing unemployment among school leavers by training them in modern farming techniques on state-supported settlements.
Evaluating policy targets reveals whether the focus was domestic human capital or foreign corporate investment.
3
Evaluate the accuracy of the statement.
The assertion that the scheme targeted foreign direct investment is incorrect.
The policy was a domestic youth employment and agricultural modernization program.

Key Concept

Objectives of Historical Agricultural Policies in Nigeria (Farm Settlement Scheme)
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Topics

Agriculture Sector: Roles, Problems, and Development Policies