News Details

THE GUARDIAN

The Alliance for Green Revolution for Africa (ACRA), has received award for their contribution to deployment of agriculture extension services to Nigeria and Africa.

The award was presented to the organization on behalf of the President by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abdullahi Sabi during the Africa – Wide Agricultural Extension Week (AAEW).

The Country Director of AGRA, Rufus Idris, while speaking with journalists after receiving the award, said that over 11 million farmers have been reached under the new agriculture technologies extension.

This model according to him, has been able to close the gap between extension agents to farmers – from one extension agent to 5000 farmers and there are plans to further reduce it.

Idris added that AGRA has been able to promote an agriculture model that has really worked and they intend to make more impact on a larger scale.

“We have been able to promote and agriculture model that has really worked, that is the community based advisory model which is mainly a model that is private sector driven and to ensure that farmers at the last mile get access extension services.

“So far, a lot of community-based advisors have been deployed out there to support, and we have more than 11 million smallholder farmers that have now been reached through those avenues and now they have been able to access new technologies with other extension services as well”, he said.

AGRA country director also revealed that they were also trying to reduce the distance that farmers have to travel to access inputs.

“This I believe we have recorded significant achievement as well. We have reduced from farmers having to travel more than 20km to access input.

“It has been reduced to less than 10km for them to access inputs, we are still working to further reduce that as well.”

Reacting to the award, Idris said that it meant a recognition of the work that they have done for several decades in Africa, promoting innovative extension services, closing distance between small holder farmers and access to extension services and also, ensuring that farmers get access to innovative extension services that are not just public sector driven but more of private sector collaboration.

“This means a lot, and it is also a call to do more because we still have a lot more farmers in Nigeria and Africa that are still struggling to access the right kind of extension services, so we are still working more.”