| Small-scale farmers can feed Nigeria if well directed, because the country has an abundance of rich soil and mineral resources. With this potential, one would expect that the country's economy should be better than it is. Small farmers produce 98% of the food that is needed in the country. Their needs are many but in most cases are not taken seriously. Their needs include leadership, assistance in pest and disease control, environmental hazards, seedling preservation, and finance. Nigeria has not been self-sufficient in food since 1960, when it gained independence from Britain. Successive governments have tried to increase food production by adopting different policies to strengthen agriculture. From the first administration of President Obasanjo to the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. However, most of the policies have not been enforced and these small farms are not meeting Nigeria's food needs. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to examine leadership and the failure of small-scale farmers in Nigeria. This study used the phenomenological research method to study the factors that affect leadership of small-scale farmers and how these factors affect the ability of Nigeria to reach food subsistence. The main problem of the research is the decrease in productivity of small farms and the resultant effect on Nigerian society. This research looked at how different leadership or management styles affect this sector. Questions of best management practices were examined as well as the measures that these farm managers use to measure efficiency and their ability to diagnose and correct performance problems. Efficiency is measured by comparing indicators of the value or quantity of output to the value or quantity of input required to produce the output. Data management involved the use of the adapted Van Kaam approach advocated by Moustakas (1994) and controlled interviews of Nigerian small-scale farmers and farm employees. These participants were asked to sign consent forms. Interviews lasted more than one hour. Simple questions were asked to accommodate the respondents' education, especially since many of the respondents do not speak English. The questions were asked in both English and in the local language, which the researcher speaks. The problem of identifying, monitoring and benchmarking key production efficiency measures were discussed. Further research on the effect of leadership and failure of small-scale farmers may yield more understanding for future researchers. |
