西 南 交 通 大 学 学 报
第 55 卷 第 4 期
2020
年 8 月
JOURNAL OF SOUTHWEST JIAOTONG UNIVERSITY
Vol. 55 No. 4
Aug. 2020
ISSN: 0258-2724 DOI：10.35741/issn.0258-2724.55.4.56
Research article
Economics
Agriculture
C
OCOA
P
LANTATION AMONG
S
MALLHOLDER
F
ARMERS
:
T
OWARDS
M
ITIGATING
S
OCIO
-E
CONOMIC
E
FFECTS OF
COVID-19
IN
N
IGERIA
小農戶中的可可種植園：減輕尼日利亞的新冠肺炎的社會經濟影
響
Yusuff Jelili Amuda
College of Law, Prince Sultan University
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, [email protected], [email protected]
Received: August 2, 2020 ▪ Review: August 12, 22 2020 ▪ Accepted: August 20, 2020 This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
Abstract
Post COVID-19 socio-economic recovery has become the priority of both developed and developing countries. Smallholder farmers have been contributing to the non-oil sector of the economy in Nigeria. However, little effort is made in exploring the non-oil sector of the economy such as cocoa plantation as a way of mitigating the socio-economic effect of COVID-19 in the country. This paper primarily aims at exploring cocoa plantation among smallholder farmers to alleviate the socio-economic effect of COVID-19 in the country. The methodology used in this paper is a systematic literature review with content analysis resulting in identifying six themes. The results indicated that smallholder farmers have been actively partaking in cocoa plantation and the government has been supportive of them in this regard. It is further demonstrated that agricultural transformation contributes to economic diversification through innovative policy and capacity building among cocoa farmers in the country which are culminated in mitigating the socio-economic effect of COVID-19 in the recent. In conclusion, it is noteworthy to say that giving support especially coca sidling to smallholder farmers can be instrumental in bridging the vacuum created by COVID-19 in the country. Thus, it is suggested that interventions of individual philanthropists, government, and international communities will boost the morale and resilience of the farmers towards enhancing cocoa production to alleviate the socio-economic effect of COVID-19 in particular and maximize national economic growth in general.
Keywords: Smallholder Farmer, Cocoa Plantation, COVID-19, Agricultural Transformation, Capacity Building
摘要 新冠肺炎之后的社会经济复苏已成为发达国家和发展中国家的当务之急。小农户一直为尼日 利亚的非石油经济做出贡献。但是，在探索经济的非石油部门（如可可种植）方面所做的工作很 少，可以减轻该国新冠肺炎的社会经济影响。本文的主要目的是在小农户中探索可可种植，以减 轻该国新冠肺炎的社会经济影响。本文使用的方法是系统的文献综述，内容分析得出了六个主题 。结果表明，小农户正在积极参与可可种植，政府对此给予了支持。进一步证明，农业改革通过 该国可可豆种植者之间的创新政策和能力建设，为经济多样化做出了贡献，这些政策和结果最终 导致最近减轻了新冠肺炎的社会经济影响。总之，值得一提的是，特别是向小农户提供古柯树的 支持，可以弥补该国新冠肺炎造成的真空。因此，建议个人慈善家，政府和国际社会的干预将提 高农民的士气和抵御能力，以提高可可产量，特别是减轻新冠肺炎的社会经济影响，并总体上使 国民经济最大化。 关键词: 小农户，可可种植园，新冠肺炎，农业转型，能力建设
I. INTRODUCTION
The evolvement of cocoa growing in the 1950s and 1960s was regarded as a major revenue of the federal government of Nigeria. In other words, the viability of cocoa plantation in contributing to the revenue of the government cannot be underestimated in the country a few decades ago. Cocoa was the main crop for foreign exchange and the country was considered to be the second-largest producer in the entire world in the 1970s [1]. There was a decline in the cocoa plantation even though the government has been trying to sustainable agricultural productivity in the country. The discovery of oil in the country shifted the focus of attention from the agricultural investment [2]. Since a few years ago, the government has been looking inwardly to foster the agricultural sector to attain a self-reliant nation. As a result of this, several studies have advocated for economic diversification [3]. More importantly, the consequence of agricultural self-sufficiency and self-reliance as an integral part of economic diversification does not significantly manifest until when the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic started. The effects of COVID-19 have manifested in various areas of human activities, such as health, education, society, and economics.
Nonetheless, the government has been trying to revive the agricultural sector by promoting cocoa plantation among smallholder farmers [4]. In the past, overwhelming literature has explored the efforts of the government in diversifying the agricultural sector, in particular, by stimulating the cultivation of maize, yam, and cocoa. For instance, the government provides organic insecticide to protect maize against armyworm infestation [5]. The literature claims that COVID-19 has affected various aspects of
human endeavor such as economic and more importantly small and medium enterprises (SMEs) [6], [7]. Nevertheless, there is a little focus or connection between cocoa plantation as a mechanism for mitigating the socio-economic effect of COVID-19 in the recent. In other words, the adequate mechanism in using cocoa plantation in mitigating the socio-economic effect of COVID-19 in the country has not been explicitly explained. Therefore, the prime objective of this paper is to critically explore cocoa plantation among Smallholder Farmers to alleviate the socio-economic effects of COVID-19 in the country. Indeed, agriculture is considered is one of the critical sectors in bringing overall rural development in the country. Recently, there has been advocacy for collaboration between the federal and state governments especially in addressing or averting food insecurity emanating as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the pandemic, the government has been providing essential support to breeders, seeds production foundations, and many other private companies aimed at seeds production. Yet, there is insufficient academic research exploring the cocoa plantation in mitigating the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 in the country. This paper, therefore, aims at bridging this gap. In so doing, different parts namely: literature review, methodology, findings, implications, conclusion, and suggestions are presented. Each part is explained in the subsequent sub-headings.
II. LITERATURE REVIEW
This paper summarizes the relevant literature under various sub-headings, namely: An Overview of Cocoa Plantation, Smallholder Farmers Versus Food Security in Nigeria, Cocoa
Plantation in Mitigating Socio-Economic Effect of COVID-19, and summary.
A. An Overview of Cocoa Plantation
There is overwhelming literature on the impact of petroleum on economic growth accompanied by agitation for resource diversification to attain sustainable economic development in Nigeria [3], [8]. However, the country’s economy cannot be adequately discussed without referring to cocoa as a core of the government’s revenue in the country [5]. Undoubtedly, in the 1870s, Bonny and Calabar farmers were considered the top cocoa farmers; however, their land was not fertile enough for cultivation. More specifically, it was in 1880 that cocoa farms were established in Lagos and few other farms were also established in Ota and Agege, respectively. Between 1890 and 1950, cocoa farms spread all over Yoruba land, especially in Ogun, Oyo, Osun, and Ekiti. Cocoa is the most leading product of export since several decades ago.
The scientific name of cocoa is known as ‘Theobroma cacao’. The commercial and economic importance of cocoa cannot be denied as it is a crop that needs just a partial shade to grow like coconut or areca nut gardens [9]. The cocoa plantation is an important crop for the commercial purpose all over the world. It is not doubtful to say that, there are two major categories of cocoa commonly planted in Nigeria which are: Amelonado cocoa and heterogeneous strain cocoa [10]. Indeed, Amelonado cocoa was commonly imported from Brazil whereby its pods are green in color while heterogeneous strain cocoa was from Trinidad whereby its pods are red as literature contends. Hence, a variety of cocoa should be explored and literature identifies three major types of cocoa namely: Criollo, Forastero, and Trinitario. Apart from the aforementioned, literature recently identifies an improved Indian variety of cocoa [11].
Nonetheless, some factors contributed to a setback or stagnation of cocoa plantation in the country, and such factors inhibiting the anticipated results from cocoa cultivation are low yields as a result of aging trees, the incidence of disease attack, and lack of efficient agricultural mechanization. More importantly, Africa produces almost 70% of production volumes of cocoa [12]. It must be emphatically stressed that the USA and European countries are the prime importers of cocoa. There are emerging markets of cocoa products in the world, and currently, Europe and Asia are taking lead
concerning the market and marketability of cocoa products [10].
Cocoa plantations are used for business purposes, and cocoa beans and cocoa powder derived from cocoa are used for cocoa butter and mass. Cocoa beans are ingredients for commercial bakery, sweet production, and confectionery. Apart from the economic importance of cocoa, the health benefit of cocoa cannot be denied. It is especially relevant in addressing the pandemic of COVID-19, as most victims of the pandemic have a history of blood pressure or severe malaria and other types of sickness [13]. It should be noted that it helps in reducing the blood pressure and in improving the elasticity of blood vessels. Besides, it helps in providing anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities, maintaining a healthy brain, improving insulin resistance, glucose metabolism, and also it helps in reducing abnormal fatness such as some with obesity.
Furthermore, before involvement in cocoa cultivation, it is essential to test the soil of the land to help the farmers in the protection of the plant as well as the management of nutrients. It should be mentioned that cocoa is grown in areas that are not more than twenty degrees north or south of the equator because cocoa tree plantations positively respond to high temperatures and significant rainfall distribution [9]. Besides, it should be stressed that cocoa cultivation can grow in altitudes up to 900 m.
Onwards, the cocoa tree grows in the area with temperature from 10 to 38C and it prefers areas with well-distributed rain [9], [13]. This is why most parts of the Southern part of the country are suitable for the cultivation of cocoa. However, the cocoa tree cannot survive the high winds, drought, and sudden fall in temperature. Putting all these together, it can be said that, cocoa trees cannot adequately survive or grow in most of northern Nigeria. Undoubtedly, cocoa trees are the product of seedlings raised from nurseries [14]. In the contemporary world, there are leading producers of cocoa namely: Ivory-Coast, Indonesia, and Ghana, and Nigeria are considered the fourth-largest producer of cocoa throughout the world.
It should be reiterated that the government created a marketing board whose primary responsibility is to market cocoa products. However, it was in the 1980s that both the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) recommended the federal government of Nigeria the marketing board liberalization due to its ineffectiveness [5]. It was precisely in 1986 that the government dissolved the board and
tried to look for a way forward in expanding the cocoa plantation and trade activities. As a result of a lack of viable and active means of selling the product, the farmers decided to sell it indirectly to either licensed agent or cooperatives who consequently sell to the exporting firms. Literature contends that small scale farmers also engage in cocoa plantation or cultivation and there are currently some states that partake in the production of cocoa such as Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, and Oyo states [14]. Indeed, smallholder farmers play an important role in food security and economic productivity in general.
B. Smallholder Farmers versus Food Security in Nigeria
In the past, there had been negligence of farmers which seriously affected their motivation in maximizing agricultural productivity. There are multifarious interventions by individual philanthropists, government, and the international community in enhancing agricultural production in the country. For the maximization of the national food security system, it is more important to boost the morale and resilience of the cocoa farmers in the country.
The record shows that there is an approximate of 1.4 billion poor people who are living below $ 1.25 per day and agriculture is considered to be a mechanism for poverty alleviation and a prime source of livelihood in either developed or developing countries like Nigeria [15]. In this regard, there has been an emphasis on the green revolution in agriculture, and most developing countries such as Nigeria have benefited from it. Indeed, agriculture contributes significantly to the gross domestic product (GDP) in the country [12]. Smallholder farmers contribute a lot to expanding socio-economic development. Literature contends that smallholder farmers are those that own small-based land for plantation of subsistence crops such as cocoa [4]. Literature acknowledges that almost 80% of farmers are smallholder farmers in Nigeria and 98% of food and crops for consumption in Nigeria used to be produced by the smallholder farmers. Onwards, smallholder farming system plays a paramount role in the country’s production of food which is mostly operated on small scale level which consists of different aspects such as yam, maize, cassava, millet, cocoa among others [4].
Thus, the smallholder farmers play a paramount in food security in the country and studies contend that it refers to physical and
economic access to enough or sufficient food for all citizens. This invariably means that the quality and quantity of food production is very essential for the country to adequately attain the level of food security because of the persistent hunger and abject poverty. More specifically, the World Bank [26] has identified three major pillars in promoting food security which is as follows: food availability, food accessibility, and food utilization. It can be said that according to the aforementioned pillars, whichever country that cannot fulfill the three pillars for food production, such a country cannot be considered as a nation that fulfill food security. It is not disagreeable to posit that the Nigerian government has been making tremendous efforts in improving agricultural production but it has not yielded the desired result perhaps serious attention has not been given to the identified pillars by the World Bank.
More so, with the current COVID-19 pandemic, there is a hike of hunger among the citizens in the country as a result of the closure of various business activities [16]. The country is blessed with fertile land for the cultivation of varied crops such as cocoa to boost socio-economic development. For instance, literature contends that the country is endowed with 98 million hectares of arable land and 2.5 million hectares of irrigable land. A total of 83 million hectares are good for cultivation, however, just only 30 to 34 million hectares are used for plantation [4]. The COVID-19 pandemic hindered food production in different parts of the world including Nigeria. As a result of this, there is an ongoing concern about the multidimensional approach relevant for Nigeria to cope with the global food crisis emanating from the consequence of COVID-19 [16].
Onwards, there is a need for exploring more lands suitable for agricultural cultivation to mitigate hunger, poverty, and unemployment, and consequently to contribute to the overall socio-economic development [17]. More specifically, it is on this note that, the government further explores the plantation of cocoa by utilizing the unused land for this purpose because the country is having the best agroecology and good climatic condition for the cultivation of different crops including cocoa. Since smallholder farmers are engaging in the cocoa plantation in different parts of the country, it is essential to utilize the available land and adequately explore the potential of the unemployed population in partaking in agricultural investment to make the country have sufficient food production [4]. The issue of food
insecurity is of high intense especially with the current experience of the pandemic of COVID-19 especially when the lockdown did not allow people to go to their work. Thus, there is a need for new strategies in addressing post-COVID-19 economic recovery. Undoubtedly, the empowerment of smallholder farmers with a specific focus on a cocoa plantation, to some extent, can address the economic recovery after COVID-19 because literature emphatically stresses on enhancing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to overcome post-COVID-19 economic challenges [16]. This is significantly paramount in manifesting agriculture as a vital sector in developing the economy of the country. It is not disputable to say that agriculture is an important sector of the economy especially in providing employment, food, and export earnings. Cocoa cultivation can also be instrumental in achieving employment, food, and export earnings. Surely, cocoa plantation by the smallholder farmers will assist the poor and the vulnerable citizens to get employment because it can be considered as a new strategy in addressing the envisaged challenge of economic recovery after COVID-19.
Thus, as for cocoa plantation, various factors of production must be taken into account to achieve meaningful development and such factors are land, labor, and capital [4]. The government can help smallholder farmers of cocoa with the aforementioned factors of production (i.e. land, labor, and capital) especially by expanding the size of their land for cultivation. As part of the challenges confronting farming in contemporary time is that most modern techniques are not being utilized towards the successful maximization of cultivation of cocoa. For instance, there is a lack of capital input, advisory services, and market information to expand the agricultural sector of the economy [18]. Indeed, cooperation and collaboration between government and non-governmental agencies can bring meaningful development to the cultivation of cocoa plantation in the country. This is so because the agricultural sector of the economy contributes significantly to rural development which will enhance the standard of living of citizens in the rural areas. Although, the provision of infrastructural development that links rural areas can further strengthen rural development. And of such infrastructural development needed to boost cocoa cultivation among smallholder farmers are schools, electricity, roads, dams, the efficiency of commercial banks [4]. Thereby, the creation of awareness among smallholder
farmers is important especially by reporting to them the latest advances in best crops, seedlings, fertilizers, storage systems to foster the overall agricultural intensification in the country. Such mechanisms will facilitate boosting cocoa yields and farmers’ profit and enhance the overall economic growth in the country. Thereby, it is vital to explore the plantation of cocoa in mitigating the socio-economic effect of COVID-19 in the country.
C. Cocoa Plantation in Mitigating Socio-Economic Effect of COVID-19
It is vital to note that, before COVID-19, the government has been trying to foster its gross domestic product (GDP), however, despite this; there is no connection between the country’s population expansion and the growth of GDP. More specifically, between 2017 and 2019, the country was regarded as one of the poorest in capital revenues, and it affected other African countries’ economies since Nigeria plays a significant role in the economic growth of different countries on the continent. The scenario of the COVID-19 pandemic indicates that the country’s economy needs to be rejuvenated from the effect of the pandemic.
Moreover, one of the major problems of the country is its over-dependence upon oil. COVID-19 has set in a drastic drop in oil prices [4]. As a result of the pandemic, there is a sharp decline in the fiscal or monetary aspect which has enormous challenges on the economy. Overall, the effect of COVID-19 will not be limited to the economic aspect only but it shall cut across all aspects. In responding to the fiscal crisis, it is noteworthy to say that, the government is expected to explore other means of diversifying the economy especially through the exploration of the cocoa plantation [11].
Onwards, literature contends that the non-oil sector should be revived to boost socio-economic development in the country. The recent effort of the government has shown its commitment to improving or diversifying the economy by enhancing the agricultural sector. In other words, the government has been showing serious dedication towards fostering cocoa plantation as a way of mitigating the socio-economic effect of COVID-19 [7]. For instance, the federal government declares that there is an increase in the government’s revenue where it generated revenue of $79.4 million from cocoa investment. It is a practical indicator that the non-oil sector, namely, the agricultural sector, is yielding the deserved result. Thus, the government needs to do more expansion
especially in fostering cocoa plantation in particular and other crops in general. On the one hand, it is justified by the current scenario of the COVID-19 pandemic with a drastic reduction of food exports as a measure to avoid food scarcity. On the other hand, there has been a decline in oil revenue and investment in agriculture as an alternative means of bridging the gap created by COVID-19 [19]. Reiteratively, the government’s policy on agricultural investment and expansion is considered as a policy in the right direction to mitigate the socio-economic effect of COVID-19 in the country.
One of the essential priorities of the government is its attempt to focus on the economic recovery in the aftermath of COVID-19 because there is a negative socio-economic consequence of COVID-19 in the country. Thus, there is a need to explore more opportunities for investment to attain overall socio-economic development. One of the paramount ways of attaining socio-economic development after COVID-19 is for the government to invest aggressively in the cocoa plantation as recent literature demonstrates [20].
Furthermore, the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the government to be proactive in the acceleration of decisions on some socio-economic growth especially on some structural issues that are considered as an impediment to the overall progress of the country. The governmental decisions are paramount especially in fostering investment in various aspects of the economy which is expected to bring rapid economic growth and development. For instance, the policy on fuel subsidy has been there for long, and practically, it has no meaningful impact on citizens' lives, especially low-income earners.
More so, the government has been trying to stimulate local businesses whereby Central Bank has been playing a vital role in capacity building in strengthening local production. It is not disagreeable to say that, COVID-19 has affected many industries and companies that depend largely on raw materials from overseas but few ones that explore local raw materials in meeting up with local demands of the production are being strengthened [4]. It is should be acknowledged that the social wellbeing of the citizens is one of the major factors towards attaining economic recovery in the country. It is not disagreeable to say that; the government has been driving credit in improving healthcare facilities to reduce medical tourism abroad [19]. As part of the effort to recover the economy after COVID-19, it is important to create more
awareness in agricultural investment especially cocoa plantation by driving credit to the sector to attain meaningful socio-economic recovery. More importantly, the government also needs to improve in supporting the smallholder farmers who have been trying to invest in cocoa plantation to significantly address the post-COVID-19 economic recovery in the country [7]. Investors have paramount roles to play in this regard. For instance, investors such as CDC can help with the investment on a cocoa plantation and the investors can also try to actively address the challenge of perceived difficult markets. Hence, lowering the resources is an essential factor that encourages the willingness of investors to partner or collaborate with local and foreign investors respectively [6].
It should be stressed that there is a need to provide all sense of empowerment to the smallholder farmers across the country because they have been experiencing a lack of government supports in boosting agricultural productivity [21], [22]. Hence, the farmers deserve the support of the government especially by providing them with seeds that are considered as the most important factor that significantly influences the yield of farmers. Thus, it is through the support that the government can prepare for the socio-economic effect of COVID [4]. In other words, giving support to the farmers will help address or mitigate the socio-economic effect of COVID-19 in the country. In not shell, the literature review has presented an overview of cocoa plantation, smallholder farmers versus food security in Nigeria, cocoa plantation in mitigating the socio-economic effect of COVID-19.
III. METHODS/MATERIALS
Systematic Literature Review (SLR) cum content analysis is used in this paper. The literature explains the importance of utilizing SLR in displaying and clarifying ideas relating to a particular area of research [23]. It is thereby essential to posit the SLR is used in this paper whereby essential themes are being generated to clarify ideas relating to the use of cocoa plantation among smallholder farmers in mitigating the effects of COVID-19 in the country. The generated themes are smallholder farmers, cocoa plantation, mitigation of the socio-economic effect of COVID-19, agricultural transformation, innovative policy, and capacity building. The themes are then transformed into a conceptual framework that can empirically be investigated in further research. However, the use of SLR is without
limitation because studies on COVID-19 remain ongoing, and as a result of this, the researcher cannot adequately claim accessibility to all studies on COVID-19 within Nigeria. Nonetheless, the aforementioned themes (i.e. variables) in this paper can further experiment. It can therefore be said that even though, the limitation has been identified, it can provide direction and shape for further studies in exploring agriculture in general and cocoa plantation in particular towards mitigating the effects of COVID-19 in the country. Each theme generated is considered in the explanation of the findings of the paper.
IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This section presents the findings according to the identified themes of the paper using a SLR cum content analysis as mentioned in the study by [23]. The six themes identified are as follows: smallholder farmers, cocoa plantation, mitigation of the socio-economic effect of COVID-19, agricultural transformation, innovative policy, and capacity building. The findings based on each of the themes is explicated in the subsequent paragraphs.
First, it must be emphatically stressed that smallholder farmers in different parts of the world including developing countries like Nigeria engage largely in subsistence farming because they usually produce what they consume [22]. In the contemporary market, smallholder farmers have gone beyond producing what they only consume but they have been increasingly supplying their products for the market. Smallholder farmers especially those planting cocoa have been playing significant roles especially in collaborating with the licensed agent or cooperative who used to buy a cocoa product and sell to the government for export. As a result of intermediary between them and the government, smallholder farmers have been having a feeling of marginalization in market exchange especially when they could not confront or face more powerful people in defending their rights in selling their products which they labored for [4].
Second, the cocoa plantation has reached the level of its diversification. There are some essential considerations to engage in cocoa plantation especially when the target is for commercial purposes. In other words, the farmers at the initial stage should give proper focus on the marketing of cocoa beans and powder. The smallholder farmers have been trying to explore the most lucrative cocoa seedling to maximize profit the will contribute
significantly to overall socio-economic development in the country [20]. It is however not disputable that, most smallholder farmers used to consume cocoa beans, and this does not indicate that they do not partake in the commercialization of cocoa products. This is paramount even among smallholder farmers and it is essential that whoever interested in investing in cocoa cultivation should plan adequately for the financial cost [24]. Besides, land for cultivation of the cocoa is important which can be compared with some other crops like coconut, race nut to properly prepare and plan for maximization of profit. This concern has reflected in the recent effort of the government in distributing sixty-six thousand seedlings of cocoa to the smallholder farmers [20].
Third, mitigation of the socio-economic effect of VOCID-19 has become a central focus of attention all over the world including Nigeria. In other words, there is a need to explore multifarious opportunities for economic development especially through diversification of business and investment in the country [3] with a specific focus on the post-COVID19 socio-economic recovery. The pandemic of COVID-19 has brought new thinking, ideas in tackling peculiar socio-economic changelings in the country. The continuity of business and economic activities in the country was supported by the optimization of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) activities to diversify the economy and to attain sustainable economic development [18].
Fourth, agricultural transformation is needed for the diversification of the economy. This can only be achieved when there is an increased opportunity for investors in the agricultural sector of the economy [18]. Undeniably, there has been lots of transformation, especially smallholder farmers have been harmonized into market economies. This scenario is also applicable to cocoa smallholder farmers in Nigeria as they require serious attention to implement their dreams, and it cannot be attained without the support of the government, especially because it made cocoa production an essential resource for the country’s export earnings [12]. Similarly, most of the smallholder farmers of cocoa are not formidable enough to influence the process of policy formulation by the government especially in favoring their cocoa product. As a result of this problem, they have been trying to work with some international non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) to influence the policy of the government in their favor.
Fifth, it is not arguable to posit that, innovative policy design can be instrumental in maximizing agricultural productivity. Indeed, smallholder farmers have initiated farmer groups to defend their interests and increase their access to market information to become agricultural policymakers in the country [18]. It can be argued that the provision of market information may not be enough in the direct link to the market plays a vital role in the motivation of farmers in their farm produce. For instance, The African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET) has been making a tremendous effort on a project called Smallholder Voice (SHV) with a research grant from the Open Society
Foundation (OSF) aimed at promoting the dialogue on agricultural policy among the stakeholders highlighting the inclusivity and value creation [25].
Sixth, capacity building remains an important factor to enhance productivity among smallholder farmers [20]. Besides, they are concerned recently about accessing technological equipment to maximize farm productivity. There have been several intensified efforts to increase the relevance of technological advancements in the agricultural sector specifically towards mitigating the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 [6], [7], [20]. Figure 1 shows the transformation of various themes into the conceptual framework explored in this paper.
Figure 1. Conceptual framework [3], [4], [6], [7], [18], [20], [22] In summary, the aforementioned framework
can adequately help explore cocoa cultivation among smallholder farmers in serving as a way forward in mitigating the socio-economic effect of COVID-19. It has been demonstrated that, in an attempt to mitigate this, there is an emphasis on agricultural transformation, innovative policy, and capacity building among the smallholder farmers in the country. Thus, the foregoing explication has significant implications which are explained in the subsequent subheading.
A. Implications of the Study
This part elucidates on the implications of the study and it is relevant to some stakeholders such as men and women farmers, the government, i.e. the Ministry of Agriculture, the international community, and researchers. First, this study will be useful on one hand, to the cocoa farmers because it shall provide hope and resilience to them as the prime players in the national food system by strengthening the input for maximization and expansion of agricultural investment. On the other hand, since National Gender Plan and Policies attempt to extend the opportunities for women, the women farmers supported by the government that has been trying
to improve their socio-economic condition will find this study significant for mitigating the effects of COVID-19. Second, the government specifically the Ministry of Agriculture will find the study beneficial especially by making research institutions efficient to make the country independent and self-sufficient in quality seeds which should be made available to the farmers. Besides, the Ministry should play important roles in collaborating with seed companies such as Kenaf Producers, Processors, and Marketers Association. In so doing, the country will revolutionize or industrialize the agricultural sector.
In so doing, the country at large will attain nutritional and food security through the transformation of the agriculture sector. Modernization of agriculture expansion and exploration, strengthening the process of agricultural expansion, and maximizing the production and marketability are fundamental factors for improving all aspects of agriculture. The study is paramount as it supports the existing propositions towards averting food scarcity after COVID-19 in the country. Hence, the application of a data-driven process, innovation, and modern technology is essential for an expansion of the
agricultural sector. Fourth, the study will be useful to researches by making further exploration of the significance of cocoa cultivation in the country. Lastly, this study contributes immensely to cocoa cultivation as a part of an effort to mitigate the socio-economic effect of COVID-19 in the country.
V. CONCLUSION
This paper primarily explores how the focus should be given to smallholder farmers of cocoa with specific attention on a cocoa plantation in mitigating the socio-economic effect of COVID-19 in Nigeria. The paper explicates on the investment of cocoa as the major revenue of the government in the past and the discovery of oil affected cocoa production. This paper thereby argues that with the current scenario of COVID-19, the cocoa plantation can significantly mitigate against the effect of coronavirus. However, multifarious challenges facing the smallholder farmers have been explained. It is, therefore, noted that smallholder farmers of cocoa should be carried along in engaging the government towards chatting a new direction for the maximization of farm products. Thus, it is explained that cocoa farmers should be given access to market information, engagement in the policy processes, and capacity building are essential in addressing their challenges. The paper further posits that giving a special focus on the cultivation of cocoa among smallholder farmers will boost the socio-economic development after the COVID-19 pandemic and it indicates that, the country is exploring other natural resources instead of over-dependence on oil revenues. In so doing, the government will diversify the economy of the country through the provision of necessary orientation to the farmers in maximizing the production of cocoa cultivation in particular and other crops in general. Hence, food security will surely be guaranteed with the commitment of the farmers, and support of the government will boost the overall development of the country. Therefore, the paper suggests that interventions of individual philanthropists, government, and non-governmental agencies are significant in boosting the morale and resilience of the farmers towards enhancing cocoa production by smallholder farmers to alleviate the socio-economic effect of COVID-19 in particular and maximize national economic growth in general.
The following suggestions are made in the paper:
1. The government should provide the necessary support to the smallholder farmers
especially by giving cocoa seedling to expand the production of a cocoa plantation in the country.
2. As an attempt to mitigate the socio-economic effect of COVID-19, it is essential that agricultural transformation, innovative policy, and capacity building of farmers are given prime importance to achieve the overall development in the country.
3. Interventions of individual philanthropists, government, and the international community will boost the morale and resilience of the farmers towards enhancing cocoa production in order alleviate the socio-economic effect of COVID-19 in particular and maximize national economic growth in general.
