The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, on Thursday reassured farmers that the newly launched National Electronic Extension Platform (NEEP) will play a critical role in addressing the current challenges in extension service delivery in Nigeria.
He stated that the current extension agent-to-farmer ratio, which stands at 1:25,000, remains unrealistic for effective agricultural development.
Speaking during the inauguration of the NEEP back-end office in Abuja yesterday, the Minister noted that the platform was designed to provide real-time solutions to Nigerians, thereby contributing to the nation’s food security goals.
Senator Abdullahi highlighted that the platform would upscale outreach efforts, ensuring that farmers have immediate access to necessary information, methods, and techniques to accelerate agricultural productivity.
The NEEP is expected to integrate the National Agricultural Research and Extension System (NARES) and other key institutions, thereby enhancing extension reach and mitigating security risks associated with in-person visits.
The platform is accessible in multiple languages, including English, Pidgin, Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo, to ensure inclusivity for farmers across diverse linguistic backgrounds.
With NEEP, farmers will be able to send in their queries and receive real-time responses, while extension agents will have a comprehensive database of agricultural knowledge at their disposal.
According to the Minister, “The use of a digital platform is designed to help us upscale our outreach to Nigerian farmers. This is not going to be a static platform; it’s going to be a very dynamic, robust, engaging virtual platform.”
He added, “The launch of NEEP aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda for national food security.
“It is our hope that NEEP, as the master online extension agent for Nigerians, will serve the purpose of the Nigerian farmer, so that the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu for national food security can be achieved.”
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then