The Federal Government has launched the National Electronic Extension Platform (NEEP), a digital initiative aimed at improving agricultural productivity and strengthening food security in Nigeria.
The platform was officially introduced at the National Agricultural Research Extension Summit, which commenced on Wednesday in Abuja, under the theme “Sustainable Agricultural Extension Service Delivery in Nigeria: The Role of Digital Technology.”
Speaking at the event, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi stressed that food security remains one of the Ministry’s core objectives.
He highlighted that this goal could be achieved by implementing various programs and schemes designed to boost the productivity of farmers.
Abdullahi further stressed the role of technology in advancing agricultural extension services. He explained that the NEEP platform is a digital solution developed to enhance the National Agricultural Research and Extension System (NARES) and other relevant institutions involved in agricultural extension services.
The platform is intended to bridge the gap caused by the low ratio of extension agents to farmers, provide farmers with timely access to valuable agricultural information, and mitigate the security risks that often hamper extension service delivery.
In his remarks, Director of the Federal Department of Agricultural Extension Service, Deola-Tayo Lordbanjou, , underscored the importance of agricultural extension services in bridging the gap between research findings, innovative practices, and practical solutions for farmers.
He noted that the summit’s objective was to encourage collaboration, explore strategies for the seamless integration of technology, and enhance agricultural productivity and food security in Nigeria.
Lordbanjou further pointed out that the Federal Department of Agricultural Extension holds the responsibility for overseeing leadership, coordination, quality control, and overall effectiveness in the delivery of agricultural extension services across the country. The Department, he added, has taken a deliberate and structured approach to revive extension activities through collaborative efforts.
To address the challenges facing the research-extension-farmers-inputs linkage system, the Ministry has engaged all key stakeholders in the National Agricultural Research and Extension System (NARES) to collaborate on finding solutions and optimizing the use of available resources, both human and material.
In his opening remarks, Ogunbiyi Marcus, the Permanent Secretary, emphasized the significance of collaboration and the effective deployment of digital technology in achieving significant improvements in agricultural extension service delivery.
