The Federal Government has unveiled a grassroots digital agricultural extension initiative and trained 1,884 personnel to improve farmers’ access to technical knowledge and boost food production.
The initiative, implemented by the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), is also aimed at bridging the gap between agricultural research and its practical application at farm level.
Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, unveiled the initiative, tagged Grassroots Digital Extension Corps (GDEC) on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said the initiative was critical to addressing Nigeria’s low agricultural productivity and unlocking the sector’s estimated 300 billion dollars economic potential.Buy Maps
Abdullahi said the trained personnel comprised 1,110 agricultural extension agents and 774 food security specialists drawn from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He said agriculture contributed about 26 per cent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employed more than 70 per cent of the population across the value chain.
“However, the sector contributes only about one billion dollars to the country’s foreign exchange earnings, despite its enormous potential to generate higher revenue through improved productivity, processing and exports.
“Agriculture can contribute as much as 30 per cent to President Bola Tinubu’s one trillion dollar economy vision, translating to approximately 300 billion dollars.
“Achieving this target will require a knowledge-driven agricultural system supported by skilled personnel and effective extension services,” he said.
Abdullahi said Nigeria’s low agricultural yields compared with those of other African countries underscored the need to strengthen farmers’ access to technical knowledge and improved production practices.
He said yields of several crops in Nigeria remained between 1.3 and 1.5 tonnes per hectare, compared with about 11 tonnes per hectare recorded in Egypt under irrigation.Buy Maps
Citing cassava production, he said Nigeria remained the world’s leading producer, with an estimated annual output of 63 million metric tonnes, but its average yield of six to seven tonnes per hectare remained below its potential.
He said stronger extension services would help farmers increase yields, reduce production costs and explore industrial processing opportunities, including high-quality cassava flour and other value-added products.
“Extension services must go beyond advising farmers on planting techniques to providing market-oriented information that connects production with industry requirements.
“There should be integration of GDEC with the ministry’s existing National Electronic Extension Platform (NEEP) to avoid duplication of efforts and conflicting agricultural information.
“We are going to set up a ministerial-level committee to harmonise existing initiatives into a unified national agricultural extension delivery system.
“I urge the National Assembly to reconsider the proposed Agricultural Extension Bill,” he said.
Earlier, Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, Executive Secretary of NADF, said GDEC was developed in partnership with the Federal Department of Agricultural Extension and other stakeholders to bridge the gap between agricultural research and its practical application.
He said the programme was built around three components; people, tools and data, adding that it would also generate field-level information to support evidence-based government interventions.
“The success of the initiative will be measured not by the number of personnel trained or digital tools distributed but by the number of farmers reached, adoption of improved practices and measurable productivity gains,” he said.
Also speaking, Yejide Olarinde, Head of Policy and Advocacy at NADF, identified the shortage of extension personnel as a major constraint to agricultural development.
Olarinde said Nigeria had an estimated ratio of one extension agent to 10,000 farmers, compared with the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) recommended ratio of one to 1,000.
She said the disparity had limited farmers’ access to timely information on improved production practices, climate-smart agriculture, soil management, appropriate input use, pest and disease control, and market opportunities.
“Extension agents are farmers’ best friends. Their responsibility is to translate research findings and innovations into practical solutions that will improve agricultural productivity and livelihoods.
“GDEC will help ensure that relevant agricultural knowledge reaches farmers at the grassroots and translates into measurable improvements in production,” she said.
Similarly, Dr Taiye Tehinse, Director of the Federal Department of Agricultural Extension, said digital platforms such as FarmEasy would complement conventional extension methods by improving communication, data collection and agricultural decision-making.
He said trained personnel needed both digital skills and practical agricultural competencies to provide effective advisory services.
Tehinse called for the inclusion of women, youths and persons with disabilities in digital agricultural programmes.
(NAN)