Empirical Analysis of Agricultural Growth and Unemployment in Nigeria

Unemployment which has been identified as the major cause of poverty is a worldwide economic problem. Poverty alleviation has been a great concern to developing countries. The economic burden of unemployment on a society necessitates this study. Consequently, this study analyses the Nigerian agricultural growth rate, its contributions, and examines the linkage and dimension of agricultural growth and unemployment rates. Collected time series data were analyzed with the aid of t – test, Duncan Multiple Range test, Granger Causality test and regression analysis. Results showed that Nigerian agricultural growth rate has an inverse relationship with unemployment and re – establish the Cobweb supply theory. In addition, increase in agricultural growth decrease unemployment and thus can alleviate poverty. Consequently, recommending polices to alleviate poverty should focus on increasing agricultural growth.