Farm Settlement Schemes in Nigeria: Challenges from Akufo Settlement, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Farm settlements were introduced in Nigeria in the late colonial period and early postindependenceera as a rural development strategy aimed at enhancing sustainable food security.Despite decades of existence, many of these schemes have recorded limited success. This studyinvestigated the challenges confronting Akufo Farm Settlement in Oyo State, Nigeria, with theobjective of addressing the paucity of empirical evidence on the factors undermining itssustainability. The study examined settlers’ perceptions of some identified challenges, thenassessed how these challenges affect farmers’ productivity and explored possible mitigationstrategies. This study adopts an integrated analytical framework derived from modernizationtheory and dependency theory to explain the persistence of rural underdevelopment in Akufo.The study adopted a mixed qualitative approach. Primary data were collected throughquestionnaires, key informant interviews, and in-depth interviews with 73 settlement dwellersselected using purposive and snowball sampling techniques in the year 2025. Secondary datawere obtained from policy bulletins, books, and peer-reviewed journals. Data were analysedusing descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis. Findings revealed persistentchallenges which included deteriorating infrastructure (54%), insufficient capital (90%),inadequate extension services (66%), youth disengagement from farming (74%), and landtenure insecurity (89%) respectively as reported by the respondents. The foregoing constraintshave negatively contributed to the decline in agricultural productivity within Akufo settlement.The study recommends strategic revitalisation of Akufo farm settlement through increasedgovernment involvement, long-term policy commitment infrastructural rehabilitation, secureland management systems, consistent policy frameworks, and deliberate engagement ofyounger farmers. The findings contribute to global discourse on sustainable rural developmentand agricultural policy implementation in Nigeria.