A Survey of Animal and Tractor Farming Techniques in Jigawa and Kano State, Nigeria

Nigeria's agriculture industry has performed abysmally, notwithstanding the importation and utilization of huge foreign machineries and equipment. The reason suggested is that in Nigeria's agriculture industry, the importation and utilization of foreign machineries have not been matched to the people's socio-economic and technological setting. Since 1960 Nigeria has been importing equipment for different agricultural processes and purposes without a thought as to their suitability to the ability and sociotechnological system of the people who use the machines. This study is a joint effort of the National Board for Technology Incubation and Hydraulic Equipment Development Institute, both of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology in Nigeria. The collaboration discussed with the farmers in Kano and Jigawa States with a view to finding their problem with equipment usage in farming and discovered that they fared better with animal utilization than the tractor. The paper consequently recommends drastic measures to firmly establish and enhance animal traction utilization in Northern Nigeria, together with similar appropriate technologies in other agricultural processes.