Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT), in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and other research and development institutions, has commenced a five-day national training workshop aimed at strengthening agricultural extension services and accelerating the adoption of improved technologies among Nigerian farmers.
The workshop, which was held from 7 to 11 September 2026 in Dutse, Jigawa State, brought together 100 senior extension trainers and subject matter specialists from Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states.
Organized under the theme “Strengthening Extension to Scaling Agricultural Innovations”, the program is supported by the CGIAR Scaling for Impact Programme, Jigawa Agricultural Transformation Agency (JATA), National Agricultural Growth Plan Secretariat – Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP) and research institutions.
The initiative is designed around a cascade training model, through which the 100 expert trainers will train frontline extension staff and farmer organizations, with the ultimate goal of reaching at least 500,000 farmers.
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Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Director General of JATA, Dr. Saifullahi Umar, said Nigeria had numerous agricultural technologies but faced a major challenge in effectively transferring them from research institutions to farmers.
He said the country’s extension to farmer ratio is commonly estimated between one extension worker per 5,000 and 10,000 farmers, adding that inadequate funding, logistics, technical capacity and digital platforms had further weakened service delivery.
According to him, lagoons contribute to late sowing, improper use of inputs, crop losses, low productivity and reduced income of farmers.
Umar said training must go beyond classroom learning and emphasized that its success will ultimately be measured by changes in agricultural practices, productivity, resilience and livelihoods.
He revealed that Jigawa State had recruited and trained 1,700 extension workers and equipped them with motorcycles to improve their mobility to reach farming communities.
The State, he added, is also establishing Agricultural Development and Agricultural Services Centers, while its agricultural mechanization company has a fleet of 400 tractors, in addition to harvesters, sprayers and other equipment.
He further said Jigawa was rehabilitating dams and deploying 6,000 solar-powered irrigation systems to expand dry season agriculture.
Representing the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, the National Coordinator of NAGS-AP, Mr. Ishaku Buba, said Nigeria received a loan of $134 million under the African Emergency Food Production Fund (AEFPF), implemented through NAGS-AP.
He said NAGS-AP uses ICT to distribute subsidized agricultural inputs to registered smallholder farmers growing crops such as wheat, rice, maize, sorghum, millet, soybeans and cassava.
Buba revealed that 647,500 farmers had registered on the NAGS-AP platform across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory since the 2023/2024 dry season, while 622,818 farmers had received subsidized input packages.
He added that 1,269 exchange centers and 641 agricultural merchants have been hired throughout the country.
The workshop will cover climate-smart agriculture, soil health, improved seed systems, pest and disease management, digital agriculture, market linkages, agricultural financing and farmer-centred extension approaches.
TAAT Information Center Director Dr Solomon Gizaw said investing in extension professionals was essential to translate agricultural research and technologies into practical benefits for farming communities.
He described Dutse’s training as the first step in a broader capacity-building process designed to create a multiplier effect across Nigeria’s extension system.
Organizers said the program would culminate in action plans, institutional commitments and mechanisms to monitor the impact of the training on farmers.
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