The Federal Government has said that the challenges facing the agricultural extension require the support of private sectors and experts in the sector, noting that the government cannot handle it alone due to the increasing population of farmers.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammed Abubakar said this during the Regional Policy Dialogue on Integration of Climate Smart Agriculture, Cross Border Trade and Markets, and Foresight in the Agricultural Extension & Advisory Services (AEAS) Policy; and Launching of Africa-wide Agricultural Extension Week 2023 (AAEW2023) held in Abuja.
The Minister said it has become highly necessary to address the current all-comers’ affairs in the AEAS delivery in Nigeria which has not been productive to the nation’s agricultural systems.
He said it is obvious the situation has been compounded by poor coordination and a lack of proper implementation of policies.
“Given these serious challenges, there is an urgent need, therefore, to identify and assess the numerous extension service systems/approaches (both the traditional public, private or hybrid extension systems) that can help to address the problems. It is becoming increasingly obvious that the government alone cannot provide adequate extension services to the highly expanding Nigerian population.
“This situation and over-bloated population have resulted in further budgetary constraints, staffing shortages and the push for the commercialization and privatization of extension services (contracting of extension services) by the donor community as seen in most of the donor-assisted projects in Nigeria to other parts of the world.
Dr Abubakar said there is no doubt that the required growth in agriculture can only be achieved through an efficient and effective agricultural advisory system that integrates Climate Smart Agricultural (CSA) technologies and practices.
The Minister said this underscores the need to organize such events to synthesize stakeholders’ views in order to achieve the desired outcomes.
“Cases of climate change challenges and issues which have retarded the Nigerian agricultural development abound across the country and indeed across Africa. It is for these reasons that we have resolved that the recommendations that would emanate from this gathering of experts from the length and breadth of Africa would be fully integrated for CSA and foresight, Cross-border trade and markets and AEAS”, he noted
He, however, said the government will do the best it can to build capacity for national and regional stakeholders on policy formulation, integration of emerging issues in AEAS policies while supporting the Nigerian AEAS to establish Directors of Extension Forum in Africa.
“We shall collaborate in whatever ways we can. We have always operated an open-door policy and would not hesitate to render our support whenever you beckon. We shall equally aim to harmonize suggestions, policy objectives, and implementable solutions that emanate from this dialogue”, he added.
Also, the Director of Programmes in AFAAS, Max Olupot said Agriculture Extension Week is an event which brings all the practitioners that deal with agriculture extension and advisory services in the continent and outside the African continent. It also brings the researchers and all the NGOs that practice agriculture extension and advisory services.
He said it is a very noble event for the African Forum for Agriculture Advisory Services and we do it every two years. For 2023, we are already in high gear to have it here in Abuja.
“Normally as you are aware, there is research, there is an extension, so these two have to work together, most important is that when we come together we share experiences, we share the technologies and innovations in different countries and in the continent, this helps to build the capacity.
“By bringing the stakeholders together, you are able to learn, exchange experiences and innovations that are happening within the continent and outside the continent of Africa and by doing so, you are trying to make extension and advisory services to be efficient to reach the farmers and to help the farmers transform their lives.
“The essence is that we want to make the extension a very efficient and effective sector which is helping to ensure that the technologies, innovations reach the farmers and the farmers are able to use them and by using them, the farmers are able to transform their lives”, he noted.
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