The Federal Government has trained 1,110 agricultural extension agents and 774 food security specialists across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The initiative, under the Growth and Development of Agricultural Extension Services, GDEC, programme, is aimed at strengthening farmers’ access to modern agricultural knowledge, digital tools and technical support to improve productivity and fast-track food security.
Bridging the gap between agricultural research and practical farming remains a major challenge in Nigeria’s quest for increased food production.
Despite growing innovations in the agricultural sector, many farmers, particularly in rural communities, still lack access to timely technical advice and improved farming practices.
The Federal Government seeks to address this gap through the GDEC initiative, developed in partnership with the National Agricultural Development Fund, NADF, and other stakeholders.
Under the initiative, 1,110 agricultural extension agents and 774 food security specialists have been trained and equipped with relevant skills and digital tools to provide advisory services to farmers nationwide.
The programme is built around three key pillars: people, tools and data, with the aim of strengthening extension service delivery and generating field-level information to guide government policies and agricultural interventions.
Beyond the training, stakeholders say effective deployment, continuous capacity development and performance monitoring will be critical to ensuring that farmers benefit from the initiative.
For the beneficiaries, the responsibility now lies in taking agricultural knowledge directly to farming communities, understanding farmers’ challenges and promoting the adoption of improved practices.
As Nigeria intensifies efforts to achieve food security, strengthening agricultural extension services is seen as a critical step towards translating research, innovation and investment into increased productivity and improved livelihoods for farmers.
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Editor: Ada Ononye
