INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT INTERVENTION AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA:

A STUDY OF MILLENNIUM VILLAGE PROJECT (2006-2015)

Abstract

The challenges of development in the developing countries have
remained perpetual problem since the early part of the 20th
Century. The agricultural sector in Nigeria employs rudimentary
implements and lack of sufficient resources and technology to
inject more into the farming system. The paper attempts to evaluate
how the Millennium Villages Project in Kaduna State has impacted
agriculture in some of the clusters where they are sited. The
Millennium Villages Project has reduced poverty especially in
agricultural sector in Kaduna State Pampaida. The importance of
agriculture for poverty reduction, however, goes well beyond its
direct impact on rural incomes. Rural development involved the remobilization and re-allocation of resources available in the rural
areas for the benefit of rural dwellers and for the generality to
improving their standard of living. Agricultural growth,
particularly through increased agricultural sector productivity,
also reduces poverty, improving employment for poor rural
people, increasing demand for consumer goods and services, and
stimulating growth in the non-farm economy. The dependency
theory was used as a guide. In order to achieve the objectives of
this paper, both primary, and secondary types of data were
employed. The primary data comprised the use of personal
interview, and observational techniques, while the secondary data
were obtained from library text books, journals, magazines
newspapers, internet, published and unpublished materials. The
data were presented and analysed with the use of quantitative and
qualitative approach level respectively. The study depicts that
poverty alleviation really impacted significantly in the lives of
rural dwellers in Pampaida Village under the auspices of
Millennium Village Project. Lots of beneficiaries have affirmed
with the accessibility of some of the facilities given to them. The
study recommends that state should refocus on its primary, responsibilities; infrastructures should be provided for all and
sundry especially to the destitutes. The intervention on the
agricultural sector, proper scrutiny should be carried out.