Specialists canvass for empowerment of Nigerian agricultural extension workers
• To support farmers with adaptive advices Participants of the just-concluded 2024 National Agricultural Extension Review and Planning Meeting have called on the federal and state governments to support Nigerian farmers with adaptive practices that respond to changing weather patterns and promote environmental sustainability.
A communique issued after the annual meeting that was hosted early this week by the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria urged for adequate budgetary allocations and timely release of funds for agricultural research and extension services in 2025.
The meeting also enjoined governments, research institutions, public and private extension organisations to promote regenerative agriculture to sustainably maintain soil health and productivity in 2025.
The participants further urged Nigerian government to strategically adopt and promote sustainable agricultural mechanisation for increased agricultural productivity and improved food security in Nigeria.
It was recommended that government should intensify technical and administrative efforts for the provision of adequate infrastructures to ensure strong research institutions and proper extension service delivery.
“It is imperative and expedient that the Federal Government as well as state governments ensure the operational compliance with the Food Agricultural Organisation (FAO) recommendations of Extension Agent: Farm family ratio (1:800) in 2025”, according to the communique.
The participants also implored research institutions to strategically undertake climate focused research that will include carbon sequestration in order to reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.
Equally, the participants urged that research institutions should focus on breeding climate resilient crop varieties and animal species as well as develop responsive mechanisms for disseminating them to Nigerian farmers.
The participants were also of the view that all relevant stakeholders should reinforce their collaboration, synergy and knowledge sharing, with specific deliveries based on gaps identified in 2024 for responsive and increased collective outputs in 2025.
The communique further urged that government, research institutions, public and private extension organisations should promote soil conservation and fertility management research such as agroforestry, reduced or minimum tillage, promotion of biodiversity as well as irrigation and water harvesting technologies.
According to the participants, extension organisations should adopt and facilitate the scalling of climate institutional and policymakers capacity for climate in agriculture related decision making.
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Public Affairs Directorate,
Office of the Vice-Chancellor,
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
(NAM)
Friday, 6th December, 2024
