Federal Govt, AFAAS Set To Boost Agric Extension, Advisory In Nigeria

The African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS) in partnership Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Nigeria Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (NIFAAS) is set to organise the 6th Africa-Wide Agricultural Extension Week (AAEW) to boost extension and advisory service in the country.

The president, NIFAAS, Prof. Dele Tologbonse, who stated this while addressing newsmen in Abuja yesterday stressed the need for Africa to leverage modern technology in the nation’s agriculture value chain.

Tologbonse stressed the need for adopting inclusive strategies/approaches for service provision.

“The need for enhancing human capacity strengthening and improving research and entrepreneurship in AEAS & RA cannot be overemphasised,” he added.

On his part, the public communication adviser of the services, NIFAAS, Prof. Yahaya Kuta, called for the establishment of platform to enhance the promotion of indigenous innovation and the agricultural sector for rapid industrial development.

He said that one of the major setbacks to the nation’s agricultural sector was inadequate attention to indigenous-driven innovation to boost productivity.

“One of the missing links in Nigeria’s agriculture sector is extension services. If we don’t get it right we cannot get the agricultural transformation right and that is why sometimes there are innovations that are developed by research institutes but there is nobody to mass produce them. This is the time for Nigeria to have an innovation platform, if you have any innovation take it there and let the world see it,” he said.

A board member of Africa Forum for Rural Advisory Services, Mercy Akeredolu, said the programme will attract stakeholders from across the world to explore opportunities in major agricultural sectors.

“We are going to look at how innovation, research, and technology can be used to further regenerative agriculture in Africa. Because soil health is very important in the era of climate change.

She commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration’s intervention in the agriculture sector and called for more concerted efforts to empower small-holder farmers to access digital agriculture extension and advisory services.