Food Crisis: ADP managers set to revitalize agric extension delivery system, sends bill to National Assembly ***Urges governors to provide funds for agric extension activities

By David Okpashi

LAFIA — Forum of Agricultural Development Programmes (ADP) Managers in Nigeria has expressed worries over the dearth of agricultural extension delivery system in the country.

Speaking with journalists in Lafia, the Nasarawa state Capital on the current food crisis and hunger, National Chairman of the forum, Emmanuel Manase Alanana said the forum was working to ensure the revitalization of Agricultural Extension Delivery system in Nigeria.

He said following the development, the forum has sent a bill to the National Assembly for consideration and passage to give a legal backing to the revitalization of agric extension delivery system abandoned decades ago.

Emmanuel Manase Alanana disclosed that measures were being put in place to address the food crisis and hunger in Nigeria.

Alanana who doubles as the Nasarawa state Agricultural Development Programmes manager explained that the bill when passed and assented to by the president will open up more window for agricultural activities, encourage farmers to return to farm and increase food production.

He announced further plans to establish an extension trust fund to energize the revitalization of the agric extension delivery system that would also raised all years farming system.

“We have held a strategic high level meetings with Commissioners of agriculture, permanent secretaries in the ministry of agriculture in the 36 states of the federation. The next level of the meeting will be with the governors in order for them to buy into the revitalization policy.

“We must go back to agriculture not just agriculture but embrace the extension delivery system to guaranteed good security. Extension Revitalization policy will not only address the crisis of food insufficiency but provide the essentials for food production”, Alanana stated.

ADP forum programme managers Chairman while appealing to the governors to provide certain percent of allocations to agriculture in their various states added that once governor’s keyed into the system, food production would receive a boost.

Emmanuel Alanana who however blamed the food crisis, hunger majorly on inconsistency on policy formulation on agriculture by some governor’s in Nigeria, called for prompt release of funds meant for Agricultural activities.

According to the Nasarawa state ADP manager, ” government should change it’s policy on dry season farming left in the hands of peasant farmer to a more mechanized system for increase food production”.

He called for the employment of new and more extension workers, adequate funding of agric activities including provision of mobility and expressed optimism that the farmers/ herders clashes in some states would soon be a thing of the past.