NIGERIA MOVES TO OVERHAUL AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SYSTEM AS KYARI PUSHES TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN FARM ADVISORY
By Iroyin Yoruba Television
Nigeria’s Federal Government has renewed its push to transform the country’s agricultural extension system, with the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, saying improved farm productivity will depend increasingly on knowledge, technology and reliable advisory services reaching farmers at the right time.
Kyari made the remarks in Abuja at the Africa Agribusiness Extension Summit 2026, where agricultural stakeholders examined how advisory services can be developed into a more permanent part of the country’s agricultural infrastructure. The minister argued that increasing the amount of farmland alone would not be sufficient to meet the food requirements of Nigeria’s growing population.
The discussion places agricultural extension at the centre of a wider debate about how Nigeria can raise production without depending solely on expanding cultivated land. According to Kyari, farmers need access to information that is relevant to their crops, locations and individual production conditions, while the country also needs systems capable of delivering that information consistently.
The minister said agricultural extension should be treated in much the same way as other forms of infrastructure because its value is connected to its ability to deliver practical services to the economy. He pointed to the need for stronger institutions, better coordination, technology and properly equipped professionals capable of reaching farmers across the country.
The emphasis on extension comes as Nigeria continues to face the challenge of producing enough food for a large and expanding population. Kyari said the country’s population could approach 400 million by 2050, increasing the pressure on the agricultural sector to improve productivity rather than relying simply on putting more land under cultivation.
For farmers, agricultural extension traditionally provides a link between research institutions, government programmes and actual farm operations. Extension workers can help farmers understand improved production methods, crop management, pest and disease control, weather information, soil management and other issues that can affect farm performance.
However, the effectiveness of such services depends heavily on how many farmers can be reached and how frequently useful information is delivered. At the Abuja summit, Chief Executive and Co-Founder of Extension Africa, Tajudeen Yahaya, highlighted the scale of the challenge, saying one extension agent currently serves about 10,000 farm families.
Such a ratio creates difficulties for a system expected to provide timely and location-specific advice. A farmer dealing with an emerging pest problem, changing weather conditions or a particular crop-management issue may need information quickly. If advisory services are too distant, understaffed or irregular, the opportunity to prevent losses or improve production can be reduced.
Yahaya said the agricultural extension system therefore requires investment in personnel, farmer data, technology and partnerships. He also argued that no single intervention could resolve all of the challenges confronting agricultural advisory services.
The current push is also placing greater emphasis on digital technology. Kyari said technology should help deliver the right advice to the right farmer, for the right crop and at the right time. The approach reflects the increasing use of digital tools across agriculture, where mobile phones, data systems, weather information and artificial intelligence can potentially extend the reach of conventional agricultural advisers.
One of the developments highlighted by Kyari was the launch of IrokoAI.NG, an artificial-intelligence-powered agricultural advisory tool designed to give farmers access to expert guidance through USSD, SMS and voice services. More complex questions can be connected to trained agronomists, creating a model that combines automated assistance with human expertise.
The minister also said more than 100,000 farmers across six states were already receiving weekly weather and crop-protection messages, while more than 1,000 digital extension agents had been deployed with tablets.
These developments point to a shift from extension services based entirely on physical visits toward a system in which digital communication can supplement direct contact between farmers and agricultural professionals.
For rural communities, the potential benefit of such a system depends on accessibility. Many farmers operate in locations where internet connectivity, electricity and access to smartphones may not be consistent. The use of USSD, SMS and voice services is therefore significant because those channels can reach people who may not have access to advanced smartphones or continuous internet connectivity.
At the same time, technology does not eliminate the need for agricultural professionals. Kyari has stressed that artificial intelligence should be approached with care, while stakeholders at the summit discussed the importance of maintaining reliable information and ensuring that technology does not become a source of inaccurate agricultural advice.
Agriculture is particularly sensitive to incorrect information because decisions made by farmers can directly affect production, household income and food supply. Advice about planting periods, pesticide use, fertiliser application, disease control or irrigation therefore needs to be based on credible agricultural knowledge and adapted to local circumstances.
The combination of technology and human expertise is consequently emerging as an important feature of the proposed extension model. Digital tools can potentially increase speed and reach, while trained agronomists and extension professionals can address complex questions and provide context that automated systems may not be able to handle on their own.
The government’s position also reflects a broader concern about the sustainability of agricultural extension programmes. Kyari argued that Nigeria cannot build the food system required for the future through disconnected projects that disappear when individual funding arrangements end.
Instead, the system needs institutions that can operate over the long term, standards that allow different systems to work together, professionals who are properly trained and equipped, and investment from both public and private sources.
This approach would also require better information about farmers themselves. A functioning advisory system needs to know where farmers are located, what they produce, what challenges they face and what kinds of markets they serve.
Farmer data can help government agencies and development partners design more targeted interventions. It can also support the delivery of agricultural inputs, financing, extension services and other assistance to identified beneficiaries.
However, data alone does not guarantee better outcomes. Information needs to be maintained, updated and used responsibly. The usefulness of a digital farmer registry or advisory platform ultimately depends on whether it produces practical benefits for farmers and whether farmers can access and trust the services connected to it.
Another issue discussed at the summit was the need to involve women farmers more directly in agricultural advisory services. Kyari advocated direct outreach to women farmers and highlighted the potential importance of female extension agents who understand local cultural contexts.
Women play significant roles across Nigeria’s agricultural value chains, including production, processing and trading. Ensuring that agricultural information reaches them effectively can therefore affect not only individual households but also wider food and rural economies.
The proposed changes also have implications for young Nigerians. Yahaya said agricultural extension needs to become a viable career capable of attracting a new generation of professionals.
A stronger extension workforce could create opportunities for graduates and agricultural specialists while also addressing the shortage of advisers serving farming communities. But attracting and retaining such professionals would require sustainable remuneration, training and clear career opportunities.
The discussion comes at a time when Nigerian agriculture is being asked to perform several functions simultaneously. The sector must provide food for the population, support rural livelihoods, supply raw materials to industries, create employment and contribute to economic growth.
Improving productivity is therefore not simply a matter of producing more crops. Farmers also need access to markets, affordable inputs, finance, storage, transport and processing facilities. Extension services can provide knowledge and technical support, but they operate within a wider agricultural ecosystem.
This is why stakeholders have stressed partnerships between government agencies, private businesses, research institutions, technology companies, financial institutions and development organisations.
A farmer who receives advice about improved production methods but cannot obtain quality seed, fertiliser or finance may struggle to put that advice into practice. Similarly, a farmer who increases production without reliable access to buyers or storage facilities can face losses after harvest.
The proposed extension reforms are therefore being positioned as one component of a broader effort to improve agricultural productivity and food security.
The emphasis on demand-driven services is also important. Rather than simply distributing generic information, agricultural advisers are expected to understand farmers’ specific needs and the markets available for their produce.
Such a model could make extension services more relevant to farmers growing different crops in different parts of Nigeria. The needs of a rice farmer in one region may differ substantially from those of a cassava, cocoa, oil palm or livestock farmer elsewhere.
The use of technology could make it easier to organise this information and deliver targeted messages. Weather alerts, crop-protection advice and market information can potentially be distributed more quickly through digital channels than through traditional communication methods alone.
Nevertheless, the success of the approach will depend on implementation. The gap between announcing an agricultural reform and delivering measurable services to millions of farmers can be substantial.
Farmers will ultimately judge the usefulness of an extension system by whether it helps them solve practical problems, reduce production risks, improve yields, control losses and increase the economic returns from their work.
The government’s renewed focus on agricultural extension therefore places attention not only on policy but also on delivery. Building a national system capable of reaching large numbers of farmers will require coordination between federal and state institutions, local agricultural structures, private-sector organisations, research bodies and technology providers.
It will also require continued training for extension personnel. Agricultural practices evolve as new crop varieties, production technologies, climate information and pest-control methods become available. Extension workers need regular access to updated knowledge if they are expected to provide reliable guidance.
The climate dimension is another reason agricultural advisory services are becoming increasingly important. Changes in rainfall patterns, temperature and other environmental conditions can affect planting decisions, crop growth and disease patterns. Farmers therefore need information that reflects current local conditions rather than relying entirely on historical practices.
Digital weather services can supplement conventional agricultural advice by providing timely information, but such services still need to be interpreted in ways that make sense for individual farming communities.
For Nigeria, the central issue is how to connect agricultural knowledge with the farmers who need it. The government’s current approach seeks to combine conventional extension services with digital technology, artificial intelligence, farmer data and stronger institutional coordination.
The launch of IrokoAI.NG and the reported expansion of digital advisory services indicate that technology is increasingly being incorporated into the country’s agricultural strategy. The reported reach of more than 100,000 farmers receiving weekly weather and crop-protection messages provides an early indication of how digital tools could complement physical extension networks.
The much larger challenge will be scaling such services to reach farmers across the country while maintaining accuracy, accessibility and local relevance.
As Nigeria works toward greater food production, the debate is moving beyond the question of how much land is available for farming. Increasingly, attention is being directed toward what farmers know, what technology they can access, what inputs they can obtain and how quickly they can receive useful information.
The Federal Government’s latest position is that agricultural extension should become enduring infrastructure rather than a collection of temporary projects. If implemented, the proposed approach would represent a significant shift in how agricultural advice is delivered and how technology is incorporated into farming support.
For farmers, the practical test will be whether the reforms translate into information that arrives when it is needed, advice that can be trusted, services that are accessible and support that helps improve the economics of farming.
The agricultural extension debate is therefore closely connected to Nigeria’s wider food-security challenge. Expanding production requires not only land and labour but also knowledge, data, technology, finance, infrastructure and functioning markets.
The government and agricultural stakeholders now face the task of turning the proposals discussed in Abuja into systems that operate consistently at farm level.
If the extension network becomes more responsive, better connected and more accessible through both human and digital channels, farmers could have greater access to the technical information required to make production decisions.
The next stage will be implementation, including the expansion of digital advisory services, strengthening of extension personnel, development of interoperable agricultural data systems and continued engagement with farmers to determine whether the information being provided actually meets their needs.
For Nigeria’s agricultural sector, the focus on extension marks an attempt to place knowledge alongside land, inputs and finance as a core part of the country’s food-production strategy.
The message from the Abuja summit is clear: increasing the number of farms alone is not enough. The productivity of those farms, and the ability of farmers to access reliable information and apply it effectively, will remain central to Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen food production in the years ahead.