Stakeholders in the Agriculture sector have identified a unified National Digital Farmers Registry (NDFR) as pivotal to scaling up innovative technology for enhanced food systems.
The stakeholders include the Federal Government, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Heifer International and other partners.
Dr Lekan Tobe, Country Director, Heifer International, Nigeria, on Wednesday in Abuja, said a sustainable digital farmers registry was pivotal for an efficient and effective food system.
According to him, this will avoid duplication of intervention by different actors.
Tobe, in his presentation tagged, “Towards a NDFR in Nigeria: How Might We Work Together?” said that it would also promote harmony and synergy in the delivery of digitally enabled services.
“It will ensure a data driven decision making system to support targeted advisory, access to services, financial support information, integrated solutions considering the ecosystem and the available solutions among others,” he said.
He identified the context of the registry project as supporting improved coordination among food system actors for better deployment of resources including infrastructure.
The country director emphasised that equitable distribution of agricultural solutions would be achieved through a well-functioning NDFR among others.
Similarly, Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, described NDFR as the foundation for evidence-based planning, targeted intervention, policy making and accountability in the agricultural ecosystem.
According to him, NDFR allows us to identify and reach the real farmers with the right support, eliminate inefficiency, and ensure that resources are aligned with national priorities.
“With a credible farmers’ registry, we can ensure that inputs reaching the intended beneficiaries that support programmes are tailored to the actual needs of our farmers and that government interventions yield the desired impact.
“Moreover, it will empower financial institutions, agribusinesses, insurers, and other stakeholders to engage with our farmers with clarity, confidence, and precision,” he said.
Similarly, IFAD Country Director, Dede Ekoue said the dialogue was geared toward kick-starting the process of NDFR that would be domiciled at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
Ekoue, who identified partnership as key to ensuring effective implementation of NDFR, solicited stakeholders’ partnership with the government to put in place a strong registry.
She noted that data was the foundation for everything; from policy to investment as it provided farmers with the best solution, adding that the registry would be a game changer.
According to her, the NDFR initiative will be implemented by the IFAD digital innovation action plan in collaboration with other stakeholders.
“The initiative will include comprehensive profiles of farmers, covering their farms, crop types, locations, financial status, soil types and production scales.”
