CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

Agricultural practices remains the mainstay of the Nigerian economy, because it does not only contribute to the largest share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), it is the largest employer of labour and a key contributor to wealth creation and poverty alleviation, as large percentage of the population derive their income from agriculture and related activities . Agricultural sector is the backbone of many economies in Africa, but most African countries are yet to devote their efforts to the dissemination of information and modern knowledge on agriculture to rural areas, where 70 to 80 percent of the African population lives. For any nation to improve on its agricultural productivity and ensure food security, access to information and awareness programs on agricultural practices is key in ensuring food security.

The success of agricultural development programmes in developing countries largely depends on the nature and extent of use of mass media in mobilizing farmers for the need for development. Communication has been acknowledged for playing, a prominent role in the success of agricultural production and adoption of innovations. The planners in developing countries realized that the development of agriculture could be hastened with the effective use of mass media, (Adams, 2012). Mass media was found to be a veritable tool for creating awareness and mobilizing farmers on the importance of change towards new science-based agricultural findings.

We are living in a world that is saturated by mass media with our environment brimming with data and information (Hutchings and Matthews, 2008). In recent decades, the widespread use of the mass media has resulted in heightening the level of public knowledge in different fields (Buren, 2010). Among the diverse mass media, radio and television, due to their wide and vast range of viewers, have had an outstanding position particularly with regard to informal teaching, and are considered as the best cultural and educational media (Tancard and Verner, 2015).

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in 2010, reported that about 2.0 billion people globally are suffering from chronic malnutrition, which is manifested in diseases like kwashiorkor, marasmus and other related malnutrition problems. Out of this population, about 1.2 billion are from the developing countries, of Asia, Africa and Latin America, where the most prevalent cause of death in post weaned-infants is protein malnutrition. More than twelve (12) million children under age 5 die annually because of food-related nutrition and health problems and about 178 million children globally are stunted.

The consequences of this malnutrition are slow economic growth (poverty), direct losses in productivity as a result of the poor physical status and indirect losses from poor cognitive function. About 150 million children under five years old are underweight, and more that 20 million suffer from severe malnutrition. It is estimated that 350 million women have nutritional anaemia. Some 40 million children suffer from vitamin A deficiency, some of whom go blind, and most of those who do, die. About 250,000 children go blind or partially blind and survive. Iodine deficiency (IDD) afflicts 200 million to 300 million people with goiter, and at least 6 million suffer from cretinism (FAO, 2010). Currently, the number of people without enough food to eat on a regular basis remains stubbornly high, and is not falling significantly.

However, about 90% of Nigerian farmers engage in subsistence agriculture without adequate capital to expand their farms and store their farm produce after harvest so that agro –  processing industries could access them all year round. Due to the dearth of infrastructural facilities such as good roads, processing and storage equipment as well as inadequate marketing information; huge quantities of these agro – raw materials waste uncontrollably.

Our farmers and other stakeholders in the food supply chain therefore need to rise to the occasion by reducing food waste through good post – harvest management practices such as the use of storage facilities and appropriate processing technologies. This would guarantee food security thus enabling the populace to overcome the incidence of malnutrition.

Based on the above, it is therefore, imperative to examine Farmers information literacy and awareness towards agricultural productivity and food security in Nigeria.

1.2     Statement of the Problem

The first essential component of social and economic justice is adequate food production. Even if a nation cannot send cosmonauts to the moon, it should be able to feed her population, only then can it occupy place of pride in the community of nations. Nigeria is a country richly blessed with abundant natural and human resources that if properly harnessed can feed its people and export the surpluses to other countries, yet it is experiencing persistent food crisis both in terms of quantity and quality. Cases of malnutrition and under nutrition are growing by the day. The food intake requirements of majority of Nigerians have fallen far below the international standard. Past effort at improving food supply through agricultural production has not yielded successful results. The programmes that were introduced only helped to alienate the peasant farmers who are the major producers of food in Nigeria. Therefore, this study is aimed at examining agricultural information literacy and awareness of Farmers towards productivity and food security in Nigeria.

1.3     Objectives of the Study

The study will achieve the following objectives:

1. To examine the effect of academic information literacy on agricultural productivity and food security.
2. To examine the effect of agricultural information literacy on agricultural productivity and food security.
3. To identify the effect of health information literacy on agricultural productivity and food security.
4. To identify the effect of business information literacy on agricultural productivity and food security.
5. To identify the effect of political information literacy on agricultural productivity and food security.

     1.4     Research Questions

The following research questions are pertaining to the study:

1. What is the effect of academic information literacy on agricultural productivity and food security?
2. What is the effect of agricultural information literacy on agricultural productivity and food security?
3. What is the effect of health information literacy on agricultural productivity and food security?
4. What is the effect of business information literacy on agricultural productivity and food security?
5. What is the effect of political information literacy on agricultural productivity and food security?

1.5     Statement of Hypotheses

1. Ho: There is no significant effect of academic information literacy on agricultural productivity and food security.

HA: There is significant effect of academic information literacy on agricultural productivity and food security.

2. HO: There is no significant effect of agricultural information literacy on agricultural productivity and food security.

HA: There is significant relationship effect of agricultural information literacy on agricultural productivity and food security.

3. HO: There is no significant effect of health information literacy on agricultural productivity and food security.

HA: There is significant effect of health information literacy on agricultural productivity and food security.

4. HO: There is no significant effect of business information literacy on agricultural productivity and food security.

HA: There is significant effect of business information literacy on agricultural productivity and food security.

5. HO: There is no significant effect of political information literacy on agricultural productivity and food security.

HA: There is significant effect of political information literacy on agricultural productivity and food security.