COCOA PRODUCTION AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN IDANRE, SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA, 1900-1996

Abstract

The production and sales of cocoa were critical factors in rural development in pre-colonial Nigeria, with Idanre being one of the foremost centres of cocoa production in the country. Although literature exist on the contributions of cocoa to economic development in Southwestern Nigeria, the impact of its production on rural development in Idanre is yet to be fully explored. This study was, therefore, designed to examine the relationship between cocoa production and rural development in Idanre, especially between 1900 which captured the origin of cocoa cultivation and colonial rule and 1996 that marked a decade of the structural adjustment programme in relation to cocoa production and rural development in Idanre. The historical method of research was used. Primary and secondary sources were used. Oral interviews were conducted with one hundred purposively selected informants for their knowledge of cocoa production in Idanre. These included 50 cocoa farmers, 20 cocoa produce merchants, 10 traditional rulers, three officials of credit institutions, two officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and 15 youths who were involved in the produce trade. Archival materials, including colonial government papers, ordinances and reports on agriculture in Idanre were obtained from the National Archives, Ibadan and the British Archives, London. Statistical data were sourced from the Federal Office of Statistics, Abuja, the National Cocoa Produce Office, Lagos, the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Owena-Idanre, and farmers’ unions in Idanre. Secondary data such as journals, monographs, magazines and books were consulted. Data were subjected to historical analysis. Between 1900 and 1996, cocoa production and sales had a significant socioeconomic impact on Idanre community. It boosted general rural development through increased rural employment, which enhanced producer’s wellbeing, social mobility and general rural development. Cocoa production facilitated the development of over 460 farm settlements and villages, including Odode, Alade and Atoshin, which thrived mostly on cocoa proceeds. Colonial capitalism was exploitative of the farmers and the environment. However, the narrative changed in the 1950s and 1960s as members of the Idanre community launched many self-help projects, such as the construction of 12 secondary schools, 25 primary schools, five community centres, eight major roads and 25 health centres as well as the provision of a diverse range of other social amenities. From 1970 to 1986, cocoa production in Idanre stagnated, owing to massive rural-urban migration. Following economic liberalisation and abolition of the Cocoa Marketing Board in 1986, Idanre witnessed urban-rural migration, as many indigenes and migrants returned to cocoa farming. Structural Adjustment Programme also allowed many non-cocoa producing families to invest in the cocoa business and made a fortune through which they contributed to the transformation of both their livelihoods and the community. Cocoa production in Idanre changed the pattern of development by aiding farmers to re-establish new patterns of communal interactions and productive capacities.