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This paper addresses government policy on agriculture and its implications for rural poverty and food insecurity in Cross River State from 1999 to 2023. The cardinal objective of successive administrations' agricultural policy in the state was to alleviate rural poverty and promote food security. Unfortunately, this objective has yet to be realised, largely due to poor policy implementation and the lack of a rural infrastructure development master plan for the state. It is argued here that poor policy implementation and lack of planning to uplift the occupational base of rural crop producers are responsible for rural poverty and food insecurity. Successive administrations should implement the state's policies and master plan to address the prevailing circumstances of rural poverty and food insecurity. This is one way to bring about a decisive structural change in the welfare and well-being of rural dwellers. The analysis in this work is anchored in a historical research framework that draws on secondary sources and interdisciplinary methodology. The work concludes that the Cross-River State government should adopt a well-coordinated poverty-alleviation development strategy, including, but not limited to, a rural infrastructure development master plan, which successive administrations should strictly implement. The infrastructure master plan should be targeted at uplifting the occupational base of rural crop producers and enabling them to carry out their daily activities in a conducive environment, thereby alleviating rural poverty and food insecurity.

Government Policy, Rural Poverty, Food Insecurity, Rural Areas, Infrastructure, Master Plan,