Abstract: Specific examples from many third world countries, including Nigeria, point to a general case in which agricultural production of rural societies tends to increase under rising prices and contract under falling prices. In the case of the Zaria rural area, however, the study shows that the forces behind increased yam production in the area are (1) the efficiency of the marketing system and (2) the relative profits which the farmer earns from the cultivation and marketing of yam vis-a-vis cotton and groundnuts which are the two other commercial crops in the area. The study shows that the process of yam cultivation passed through three evolutionary stages in the study area. The first was the preliminary stage when yam cultivation was in its infancy. The second was the pre-commercial stage when yam cultivation developed only gradually.
The third and final stage, the commercial stage set in about the end of the Nigerian Civil War when there seemed to have been an increase in the tempo of growth in many Nigerian towns including Zaria. The final stage was characterised by a marked increase in yam cultivation. The study traces the physical and human resources which have made the yam evolution possible. It suggests that a close relationship exists between the yam evolution and growth in urban Zaria. An assessment of the dynamics of Zaria urban growth indicates that this urban centre will continue to be a viable market although the demands of other urban markets also exist for the Zaria yams. In response to the market opportunities, the Zaria rural societies have expanded the process of yam production which has in turn raised the demand for farm labour in the study area. The study notes that the new labour demand situation led to longer hours of family labour in farms as well as to the emergence of paid migrant labour in the area. Other changes both institutional and structural have also emerged under the influence of the evolution. Some of the changes include increased number of personal assets which represent physical signs of the material well being of the rural societies and evidence of the transformation in rural Zaria. However, the project further notes that since these personal assets lack basic infra-structure, rural responsiveness is not sufficient to take care of rural development. Never theless, it sees the spontaneous responsiveness as being necessary in revealing local resources on which effective plan for rural change may be based. The study also considered the problems of the rural areas and noted, among other things, that the absence of basic infrastructure and essential services has inhibited the production process in the research area. On the basis of the foregoing inadequacies and in the light of the finding of the present study, the study recommends a rural development plan which relates to the production pattern of the rural producer. Such a plan would emphasises the installation of rural infrastructure and the establishment of institutions to step up the product capabilities of the rural areas and improve the standard of life of rural societies in Nigeria,.............ORDER FOR COMPLETE PROJECT MATERIAL NOW!! .
