Agriculture, Forestry and Water Resources Management: A Panacea for Sustainable Development in Nigeria

Given the central role of agriculture and the unprecedented changes in climate anticipated over the next few decades, the need for sustainable development cannot be over emphasized. Unfortunately, several human activities aimed at economic growth and development has put man and the environment in a precarious position. Such activities include bush fallow, inappropriate technologies, overpopulation, overgrazing, deforestation without adequate reforestation and profligate exploitation of mineral resources. The obvious result of these activities is the increasing inability of agricultural, forestry and water resources to enhance sustainability in the process of economic growth and development. This study therefore adopted an econometric approach to investigate the negative influence natural resource exploitation and utilization pose on Nigeria’s economic development. However, the paper believes that, in as much as technological advancement and innovation is a sine qua non for economic growth and development in nearly all the sectors of the Nigerian economy, such advancement must be approach with caution because of its associated implications on environment, natural resources and most importantly sustainability of our economic growth and development process. Hence, appropriate management via the adoption of a more pragmatic and environmental friendly approaches such as renewable energy sources mostly in the power sector as well as zero tolerance for gas flaring. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2014.v3n4p37