Date of Award

6-2024

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Geography

First Advisor

Benjamin Ofori- Amoah, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Lucius F. Hallett, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Nicholas L. Padilla, Ph.D.

Keywords

Cocoa, crude oil

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

Nigeria's cocoa industry has been faced with obstacles that include a lack of adequate infrastructure, little or no research and development efforts for weather-related challenges and pest control, limited financial support for cocoa farming startups, absence of modern farming techniques, an aging agricultural workforce, and decrepit cocoa trees all of which have contributed to the decline in the production of cocoa by Nigeria. The Nigerian government's failure to prioritize agricultural policies and support farmers instead of relying on oil exports exacerbates these issues. While it is assumed that countries endowed with abundant natural resources, including oil, like Nigeria, would naturally prosper from oil revenues, the expansion of the oil sector has overshadowed the importance of cocoa as an export commodity. Consequently, the lack of investments in the cocoa industry has led to a decline in cocoa production. At the same time, Nigeria's heavy reliance on crude oil exports exposes it to the volatile fluctuations of global oil markets, creating reoccurring economic instability and a high cost of living for citizens. This thesis examines how cocoa production has been affected by the crude oil economy era of Nigeria, reviewing the current status of cocoa production and its socio-economic impact on farmers using cocoa production data from 1970 to 2022. The thesis established that the lack of investment in the cocoa industry has led to a decline in production over the years, highlighting the need for policy intervention to revitalize cocoa production and reduce the nation's economic dependence on crude oil exports.

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