Land resources of central Nigeria Agricultural development ...

Most families own a few small stock - sheep, goats and poultry - which are
keptin compounds or tethered on uncultivated land (during the daytime)
during the rains and allowed to forage in crop residues after harvest.
Residues of groundnut and cowpea haulms are highly prized and conserved;
sorghum stalks are also collected and stored.
Settled Fulani cultivate land and rear cattle in a few places. Nomadic
Fulani pass through the area from north to south and back between grain
harvest and planting, resting in a locality from between a week to
months depending on the grazing availability. Aspects of rangeland are
discussed further below.
Agricultural infrastructure
The Kaduna State Ministry of Agriculture provides most of the services
for the advice and assistance of the farming community. Small marginal
areas of the Kaduna Plains are similarly covered by the equivalent
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Capital Territory occupies a small portion in the south where future
agricultural programmes are unknown.
In the extreme north-west, the Funtua Rural Development Project (run by
the World Bank)is a new and efficient project specifically designed to
raise output through improved agricultural infrastructure.
Unfortunately, it has proved impossible to obtain up-to-date raw data
for analysis for the Kaduna Plains, partly due to the recent
restructuring of local government areas and partly due to the number of
state ministries involved. The following is, therefore, based largely
on pre-1976 information.
Agricultural extension. Formerly, a Provincial Agricultural Officer
(now a Chief Agricultural Officer) was based in Kaduna with Divisional
Agricultural Officers in Funtua, Saminaka, Kaduna, Zonkwa, Sabon Gida
and Zaria. An Agricultural Superintendent was in charge of each District
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