The Nigeria Institute of Soil Science (NISS) just launched the NISSAgro App for farmers and extension professionals to support agricultural production in Nigeria. Some of the features of the app include, a digital farm record functionality, recommendation of fertilizers best suited for soil types on a state-by-state level, and the direct connection of farmers with agriculturists for expert guidance in English, Hausa, Yoruba, or Igbo. The app is now available in various App Stores.
Looking at the features of the app, it has the potential to enhance agricultural production and greatly improve the standard of living for Nigerian farmers- crop and livestock farmers, alike. As arable land continues to decline in quality and deplete, deploying technology to maximize the available soil is more important than ever. As at 2012, Raw Material Research Development Council, (RMRDC) reported that Nigeria was losing about 351,000sq.km of its landmass to desert formation. And the desertification was said to be shifting southward at the rate of 0.6km per annum.
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Aside from soil depletion, more arable land is lost to the expansion of cities, infrastructural development, and the likes. The question of how farmers will produce enough food for the growing population of Nigeria with shrinking land resources comes to mind. Although there are alternative production methods such as hydroponics, aeroponics and other forms of soil-less farming, how enlightened are our small scale farmers who according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), front about 88% of the total food production in Nigeria?
In the Global Hunger Index of 2021, Nigeria ranks 103rd out of 116 countries. Does it seem like Nigeria is anywhere close to her goal of achieving food security as a nation? Clearly, not. Farmers need all the support they can get, from loans to improved seeds and inputs, to new technology, as well as readily available extension service in rural farming communities. As pivotal as quality extension service is to the diffusion and adoption of relevant innovations such as the newly launched NISSAgro App, priority has not been given to it.
In January 2022, Business Day, reported how ineffective extension services undermines Nigeria’s food security but the extension agent to farmer ratio still remains 1 extension agent : 5000 farmers. One begins to wonder what the probability of extension agent effectiveness will be at this ridiculous ratio. Efforts to improve local food production such as Central Bank loans, ban on food importation, among others, have been largely unproductive and one major causal factor is boycotting extension agents in most of these intervention programs.
Agriculture is bedeviled by a lot of problems but limited access to advisory services is chief among them. Except public advisory services are highly accessible to smallholder farmers, the struggle will continue for much longer. The success of many promising agrictech innovations such as NISSAgro App will depend on how well extension professionals are carried along.
Trained tech-savvy extension agents who speak the language of farmers fluently, must be actively involved in the diffusion and adoption efforts employed by the Nigeria Institute of Soil Science (NISS) to maximize the reach and impact of the NISSAgro App.
Ehi-kowoicho Ogwiji is a storyteller and natural scientist who is given to advocacy for a science-literate Africa. Ehi-kowoicho aspires to be a renowned science communicator and STEM thought leader in Africa and beyond. She writes from Abuja, Nigeria. Connect with her on social media @ogwijiehi or email her at [email protected]
