One of the major causes of farmers' unstable income in Nigeria is _________

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks for a major cause of unstable income among Nigerian farmers. Unstable income means earnings that fluctuate from season to season or year to year.

Step 2: Explain the concept Agricultural income is unstable because farming depends on factors that farmers cannot fully control:

• Weather (rainfall, drought, flooding)
• Pests and diseases that damage crops and livestock
• Price fluctuations of produce (supply is seasonal)
• Perishability of products and poor storage

Output varies from year to year, and so does income. Prices also change because demand for agricultural goods is inelastic, so a bumper harvest can push prices and income down.

Step 3: Evaluate the options

• A. The effect of diseases and pests: This directly causes crop failure or reduced yields, so output and income vary from season to season. It fits the question.
• B. Industrial pollution: It can harm farmland in some areas, but it is not a widespread or major cause of income instability across Nigerian farmers.
• C. Mining and extraction activities: These affect specific localities, such as the Niger Delta oil spills, but are not a general cause of unstable farm income.
• D. Population growth: This tends to increase demand for food, which would support farm incomes rather than make them unstable.

Step 4: Answer Pests and diseases cause unpredictable losses in output, and that makes farmers' income unstable.

Tip: For "unstable income in agriculture" questions, think of natural and unpredictable factors: weather, pests, diseases, and price fluctuations. Options about pollution, mining, or population are usually distractors.