Agriculture as an Index of Socio-Economic Development of Delta State of Nigeria

The paper examined Agriculture as an index of socio-economic development of DeltaState of Nigeria. Secondary data from the Delta State Household Surveyformed the core of the data used for the study. The stratified random sampling technique was used in administering 2024 questionnaires to respondents in DeltaState. Simple percentages, bar graphs and pie-chart were used for the data analysis. The results of the study showed that agricultural practices in Delta State is gender sensitive with more males than females participating in agricultural production. In addition, fish farming and livestock production are on the decline, while crop farming is the major interest of the farmers. The swampy areas of DeltaStateare grossly underutilized with respect to agricultural productivity, while irrigation farming should be encouraged. The government of DeltaState should also assist farmers by providing them with credit facilities especially in the rural area. Solutions to the identified problems were proffered.