Nigeria needs to energise its agricultural development by implementing sustainable reforms that enhance the efficiency of agricultural development programmes, availability of adequate infrastructure and the depth and reach of agricultural extension delivery system.
Professor of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, University of Ibadan, Professor Lukman Akinbile outlined eight-point agenda to unlock the vast potential of Nigeria’s agricultural endowments to ensure food security and deepen economic development.
Akinbile, a former National President of the Agricultural Extension Society of Nigeria, who presented the 594th inaugural lecture of the University of Ibadan, said agricultural endowments of Nigeria and its human capital represent untapped goldmine that could help in resolving myriad of challenges facing the country. The inaugural lecture, which was delivered at the famous Trenchard Hall of the premier university, was titled: Nigerian Agriculture: Untapped Goldmine in Need of the Imminent Impetus.
He decried the current state of the Nigerian agricultural system, noting that a nation that used to be a net exporter of agricultural produce and products has now become a net importer, which keeps draining the nation’s foreign exchange to the extent that the nation now has to rely on foreign debts and investment to fund developmental activities.
“Issues that led to the low performance have to do with the administration of agricultural development programmes, the provision of required infrastructure and fortifying the extension delivery system. The extension delivery system has the potential of increasing farmers’ production and help achieve food security. The need to energise the impetus to agricultural development in Nigeria in form of a virile, efficient and effective agricultural extension service delivery is therefore imminent,” Akinbile said.
He called for the establishment of Agricultural Development Fund by the federal government, which should allocate funds for the agricultural extension service in the country.
He explained that agriculture being on the concurrent list, Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs) in states should write proposals on their extension targets for a year for which funds will be made available while the target for the year must be achieved before such state can benefit from the fund for the succeeding year.
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He said that such a system, which is currently being used by government programmes like UBEC and TETFUND, would ensure that the agricultural funds are used for the purpose they are meant for.
He also pointed out the need to regularize extension activities through the use of long-term planning that ensures that all extension activities delivered in the country, both internally or externally funded, fit into the overall plan, thus preventing duplication and avoid aberrations.
“Activities of quacks in extension practice need to be curbed. A situation where everyone is involved in extension practice must be eliminated. This will guarantee that farm produce from Nigeria satisfy world standards and prevent rejection by off-takers from within the country and the international community.”
There will be certification by a regulatory body, and there must be standards below which no practitioner must fall to avoid the withdrawal of the certificate,” Akinbile said.
He stressed the need to ensure effective research-extension-farmer-input-market linkage system.
According to him, the planning mode of extension practitioners must be activated to ensure efficient linkage, such that ensure that agricultural produce is prepared for the market, being demand-driven..
He pointed out the need to strengthen delivery system through adequate infrastructure noting functional efforts must be made to ensure that the infrastructure required for efficiency is all in place.
“There is also need to build capacity in value addition. Efforts must be made to achieve value addition of farm produce so that the nation becomes an exporter of products and not produce. This increases the value of agricultural activities. It should involve building capacity and the provision of infrastructure.
“Motivation of extension personnel is another key factor. Incentives must be provided for extension officers to discharge their responsibilities. Activities that involve going out of the station must be funded and remunerated. Allowances that are associated with such activities must be provided and career progression must be clearly specified.
“Legislation of the agricultural extension policy is important: The extension policy that is before the National Assembly should be taken to its logical conclusion until it receives the approval of the President. This will ensure that the practice of agricultural extension unlocks the goldmine that agriculture is by fulfilling the role of the imminent impetus for agricultural development and food security,” Akinbile said.
He underlined that as population of Nigeria keeps increasing, estimated to reach 400 million by 2050, enhanced agricultural productivity through the adaptation of new technologies and innovations is necessary to ensure food security and nutrition.
“The missing link involves addressing the problems with the technical needs of farmers. In order to improve yield, the nation’s extension delivery system will need to be addressed if Nigeria’s farmers’ yields will compete with what obtains in agriculturally developed nations of the world. There is thus the need for a virile extension service delivery system if Nigeria is to attain food self-sufficiency. The extension component needs to be strengthened to help improve the yield of farmers and ensure value addition,” Akinbile said.
He described agricultural extension as a necessary impetus to explore the Nigerian agricultural goldmine citing the examples of countries that had leveraged efficient extension services to grow their economy.
He said: “Agricultural extension has been used as an impetus to drive agricultural development in several countries that have attained food self-sufficiency in the world. This has been the case in countries where legislation has been used to entrench agricultural extension as the impetus. As an example, the 1914 Smith-Lever Act of the United States of America led to the institutionalisation of Land Grant Universities and Colleges from where extension services were delivered. The County Extension Officers are the field staff who interact directly with farmers and ensure that farmers are able to boost their productivity and income. The county extension officers are highly valued and they are considered among the high-impact workers. They are highly motivated because their performance index is very high. They are therefore the imminent impetus that drives agriculture to the level that the nation has attained food self-sufficiency and farmers’ enhanced productivity. This explains why American farmers are a vocal voice in national development”.
He underscored the immense opportunity in agricultural development noting that with a population exceeding 200 million, Nigeria’s internal market for food and agricultural products is huge, spanning staples like cassava, maize, yams, and rice.
According to him, this burgeoning population also provides a large, affordable labour force that can drive mass production of cash crops such as cocoa, oil palm, and cashew in high demand globally.
He added that Nigeria’s youthful demographic and expansive arable land lay the groundwork for innovative agricultural practices and agribusiness entrepreneurship.
He said: “The country’s vast arable land means there are opportunities to create jobs through smallholder farming, commercial agriculture, processing, and storage facility management.
“Therefore, to realise these potentials fully, the country must overcome the challenges related to mechanisation, infrastructure, financing, market access, climate resilience, and security. These require the deployment of a virile extension service. With strategic investments and reforms, agriculture can drive sustainable economic growth, food security, and employment in Nigeria”.