Reversing Food Scarcity Through Agricultural Extension Services

Agriculture extension services entails knowledge transfer through which extension agents educate farmers on the latest farming techniques, pest control methods, soil management, and crop production strategies.

It also deals with technology dissemination which introduces farmers to modern technologies that can enhance productivity.

Agricultural extension services can be offered by government agencies, universities, non-governmental organizations, the private sector or international development bodies.

At this critical time when Nigeria is challenged by acute food shortage and insecurity, the services of agriculture extension agents are of serious importance.

Agricultural productivity is faced with all forms of insecurity ranging from banditry and kidnapping to climate-induced insecurity caused by flooding, desertification, erosion, drought and increased likelihood of crop failure. If farmers must be able to keep hope alive and cope better, extension agents must be their closest allies.

Regrettably, these essential workers are in short supply.

The African Seed Access Index of 2020 report reveals that Nigeria’s agricultural extension workers to farmers’ ratio are the lowest.

The situation in Nigeria is worsened by the fact that farming communities are geographically located far apart in difficult-to-reach zones with deplorable roads.

There is therefore a compelling need for government at the federal, state and local government levels to recruit more extension agents.

First, government must prioritize periodic training to build the capacity of existing extension workers while training centers should be established at the state and regional levels to increase the workforce.

Also, Technology should be leveraged to enable agricultural extension agents to learn and upgrade their skills.

Not only this, farmers should be introduced to the use of ICT and digital tools to access information on their own and reduce the burden on existing agents.

The government and private sector should look into promoting digital advisory services to complement the work of extension agents by adopting the use of SMS-based services, radio programs, and online forums to deliver information to farmers.

Acknowledging the fact that government cannot do it alone, Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), is strongly recommended.

In other words, Government should partner non-governmental organizations and the private sector to increase the reach of agricultural extension services.

Nigeria should promote farmer-to-farmer extension by identifying lead farmers who can be trained and will help in spreading knowledge and techniques among the farming community.

Better salaries, transportation, housing, and equipment must be provided to attract more people into the profession and reduce the rate of attrition.

There must also be decentralization of agricultural extension services with the local governments.

Government must also demonstrate commitment through increased budgetary allocation, which should be deployed to recruitment training, and deployment of agents.

Collaboration with international bodies like Food and Agricultural Agency, FAO, International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, and the World Bank can also provide the needed financial and technical support to strengthen extension services.

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By Alfred Ajayi, Edited By Grace Namiji