The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, says the Research Extension Farmers Inputs Linkages System (REFILLS) has remained weak, uncoordinated, and poorly funded with low participation of the private sector.
Nanono who was represented at a national workshop in Abuja by the director extension, Ministry of Agriculture, Frank Kudla, emphasized on the need for policies and practices that will limit the dominance of public bureaucracy and drive private sector inclusion.
One of the most debilitating problems of research and policy in Agricultural Extension in developing countries like Nigeria is the rate at which available research results are being lost. There is a lag of 50 years between the discovery of innovations and their effective utilization in the field. This is why the Nigerian government wants the conventional Research Extension Farmers Inputs Linkage System (REFILLS) reoriented to the present-day realities.
To achieve this, the ministry of Agriculture and rural development said it has commenced the proposed training of 75,000 youth for deployment as extension workers across the country to boost extension support to farmers.
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Other participants at the workshop reiterated the need for system to be properly funded to ensure development of useful, relevant and appropriate technologies to meet the needs, opportunities and challenges of all actors on the targeted value chains.
According to them, “It is through REFILS that the Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs) are linked to research institutions on regular basis. It is the channel by which improved technology is sourced and farmers reactions to new technologies are harnessed as feedback to research institutes for appropriate technology development.
The national workshop on Revitalisation of the Nigerian National Agricultural Extension System is with the theme: “Improved Strategies for Research Extension Farmers Inputs Linkage System.
Editor : Paul Akhagbemhe
