Brenna-+Food,+Agriculture,+Infastructure


 * Documentary- **** Nigeria **


 * Food **

As Nigeria culture is a combination of the cultural influences of many tribes, there comes the variation in the recipes. However, palm oil is the common factor in almost all the dishes. A few common **Nigerian food** are isu, which is basically spiced boiled yams, dodo, which is fried plantains, efo, which is green stew, iyan, which is pounded yams and bowls of rice, Nigerian stew and Chinchin. Rice is the staple carbohydrate in the Nigerian food. Other common ** Nigerian food ** are lentil, maze beens and cassava. The most important thing to note is that, the production of food items in Nigeria is so high that food items, which include vegetables, fruits and other processed food are exported to other countries. ( [] )
 * Nigerian food ** has a great variety as there exists a great number of ethnic groups in Nigeria. However with time, lot The unity among the people in Nigeria influence them to have their meals together. **Food of Nigeria** includes meat, vegetables, fruits as well as the carbohydrates. Meats consumed by the Nigerians are beef, chicken, mutton, lamb, turkey, geese, pigeon, fish, guinea fowls, crab, shrimp and other sea food. Fruits include bananas, oranges, tangerines, pineapples, carrots, guavas, watermelons, melons, grapes, limes, mangoes, apples, tomatoes, peas and a lot more.

Agriculture

In terms of employment, agriculture is by far the most important sector of Nigeria's economy, engaging about 70% of the labor force. Agricultural holdings are generally small and scattered; farming is often of the subsistence variety, characterized by simple tools and shifting cultivation. These small farms produce about 80% of the total food. About 30.7 million hectares (76 million acres), or 33% of Nigeria's land area, are under cultivation. Nigeria's diverse climate, from the tropical areas of the coast to the arid zone of the north, make it possible to produce virtually all agricultural products that can be grown in the tropical and semitropical areas of the world. The economic benefits of large-scale agriculture are recognized, and the government favors the formation of cooperative societies and settlements to encourage industrial agriculture. Large-scale agriculture, however, is not common. Despite an abundant water supply, a favorable climate, and wide areas of arable land, productivity is restricted owing to low soil fertility in many areas and inefficient methods of cultivation. Agriculture contributed 32% to GDP in 2001. The agricultural products of Nigeria can be divided into two main groups: food crops, produced for home consumption, and export products. Prior to the civil war, the country was self-sufficient in food, but imports of food increased substantially after 1973. Bread, made primarily from US wheat, replaced domestic crops as the cheapest staple food for much of the urban population. The most important food crops are yams and manioc (cassava) in the south and sorghum (Guinea corn) and millet in the north. In 1999, production of yams was 25.1 million tons (67% of world production); manioc, 33.1 million tons (highest in the world and 20% of global production); cocoyams (taro), 3.3 million tons; and sweet potatoes, 1,560,000 tons. The 1999 production estimates for major crops were as follows (in thousands of tons): sorghum, 8,443; millet, 5,457; corn, 5,777; rice, 3,399; peanuts, 2,783; palm oil, 842; sugar cane, 675; palm kernel, 565; soybeans, 405; and cotton lint, 57. Many fruits and vegetables are also grown by Nigerian farmers. Although cocoa is the leading non-oil foreign exchange earner, growth in the sector has been slow since the abolition of the Nigerian Cocoa Board. The dominance of smallholders in the cocoa sector and the lack of farm labor due to urbanization holds back production. Nigeria has the potential to produce over 300,000 tons of cocoa beans per year, but production only amounted to 145,000 tons in 1999. Rubber is the second-largest non-oil foreign exchange earner. Despite favorable prices, production has fallen from 155,000 tons in 1991 to 90,000 tons in 1999. Low yield, aging trees, and lack of proper equipment have inhibited production. Agricultural exports (including manufactured food and agricultural products) decreased in quantity after 1970, partly because of the discouraging effect of low world prices. In 1979, the importing of many foods was banned, including fresh milk, vegetables, roots and tubers, fruits, and poultry. The exporting of milk, sugar, flour, and hides and skins was also banned. During 1985–87, imports of wheat, corn, rice, and vegetable oil were banned as declining income from oil encouraged greater attention to the agricultural sector. In 1986, government marketing boards were closed down, and a free market in all agricultural products was established. In 2001, agricultural exports totaled $323.5 million. Exports of cocoa beans that year totaled $210.4 million; cotton lint, $21 million Read more: Agriculture - Nigeria - export, growth, area, crops, farming,sector [|http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Nigeria- AGRICULTURE.html#b#ixzz1kyLKKuAN]

Infrastructure

Nigeria has a fairly extensive infrastructure of roads, railroads, airports, and communication networks. The road system is by far the most important element in the country's transportation network, carrying about 95 percent of all the nation's goods and passengers. Currently, many of the roads are in disrepair because of poor maintenance and years of heavy traffic. After independence in 1960, expansion of the road system to facilitate access to state capitals and large towns became one of the major areas of government investment. In 1978, an expressway was constructed from Lagos to Ibadan. Later, a branch of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway was extended to Benin City. By 1980 another express-way connected Port Harcourt to Enugu. Similar express-ways connected major cities and commercial centers in the north. Thus, by 1990 Nigeria had 108,000 kilometers (67,112 miles) of roads. Of this total, 30,000 kilometers (18,642 miles) were paved, 25,000 kilometers (15,535 miles) were gravel, and 53,000 kilometers (32,935 miles) were unimproved earth. Much of the road system is in disrepair and barely useable. Massive traffic jams are very common in the large cities. There are also long delays in the movement of goods. Highway accidents and deaths are frequent, and number more than 30,000 and 8,000, respectively. gauge. Two main lines of the single-track railroad system connect the coast with the interior. One line runs from Lagos (southwest) to Kano (north). The Lagos-Kano line was extended to Nguru, a cattle-raising region, in 1930. The other line runs from Port Harcourt (south-east) to Kaduna (north). A branch line runs from Zaria to Kaura Namoda, an important agricultural area in the northwest. The Port Harcourt-Kaduna line was extended to Maiduguri (northeast) in 1964. The rail system is operated by the Nigeria Railway Corporation. The system suffered a progressive decline because of inadequate funding, poor maintenance, and declining profit.
 * ROADS. ** The road system was started in the early 1900s under British colonial rule essentially as a feeder network for newly completed railroads. Two trunk roads running from Lagos (southwest) and Port Harcourt (southeast) to Kano (north central) were built. These were followed by the construction of several east-west roads, 2 north and 2 south of the natural division created by the Niger and BenueRivers. The major purpose was to transport goods from the interior to the coast for export.
 * RAILROADS. ** Railroads provide Nigeria's second means of transportation. The rail system consists of 3,500 kilometers (2,175 miles) route of 1.067 meters (3.5 feet)

Read more: [|Nigeria Infrastructure, power, and communications, Information about Infrastructure, power, and communications in Nigeria] [|http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Africa/Nigeria-INFRASTRUCTURE-POWER-AND-COMMUNICATIONS.html#ixzz1kyMGR6LD]