By Nevison Mpofu
Dutse, Nigeria — Nigeria’s drive to boost agricultural productivity and food security is receiving fresh momentum as Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) and key national and international partners strengthen the capacity of agricultural extension professionals to take proven technologies directly to farmers.
TAAT, in partnership with Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, CGIAR’s Scaling for Impact Programme, the Jigawa Agricultural Transformation Agency (JATA), the National Agricultural Growth Scheme–Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP) Secretariat and research institutions, has launched a five-day national training workshop aimed at strengthening agricultural extension services and accelerating the adoption of productivity-enhancing technologies across farming communities.
Taking place in Dutse, Jigawa State, from September 7–11, 2026, under the theme “Empowering Extension to Scale Agricultural Innovations,” the capacity-building programme brings together 100 extension master trainers and subject-matter specialists from Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states. Participants represent public and private agricultural organisations and are expected to become an important link between research institutions, technology providers, frontline extension workers and farmers.
The initiative responds to some of the most persistent weaknesses in Nigeria’s agricultural extension system, including a low extension-agent-to-farmer ratio estimated at between 1:5,000 and 1:10,000, limited funding, inadequate technical capacity and logistics, and insufficient digital platforms for delivering timely agricultural advisory services. Addressing these gaps is considered critical to improving farm productivity, raising farmer incomes, expanding food production and strengthening Nigeria’s long-term food security.
At the centre of the programme is the recognition that agricultural innovation can only deliver results when farmers have access to the knowledge, technologies and support required to put it into practice. Strengthening extension services therefore provides an important bridge between agricultural research and the millions of farmers whose productivity ultimately determines the strength of the country’s food system.
TAAT brings together scientific and technological resources from CGIAR centres and other partners through a network of commodity and enabler compacts. Its priority value chains include wheat, rice, maize, soybean, cassava, vegetables, livestock and aquaculture, alongside cross-cutting areas such as capacity development, youth entrepreneurship, policy, water management and soil fertility.
Through the Dutse workshop, extension professionals are being equipped with practical knowledge in climate-smart agriculture, soil health and integrated nutrient management, pest and disease management, improved seed systems, digital agriculture, market linkages and farmer-centred extension approaches. These skills are expected to help extension workers provide farmers with more effective solutions to productivity challenges while improving resilience to climate and market pressures.
Participants are also being introduced to mobile-based advisory platforms, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, data collection and decision-support systems. Greater use of these technologies could significantly improve the speed and quality of agricultural information reaching farmers, particularly on weather conditions, crop management, pests and diseases, markets and other factors affecting production decisions.
The training has been structured around a multiplier model designed to ultimately reach approximately 500,000 farmers. Knowledge acquired by the master trainers will be transferred to frontline extension workers, who will in turn work with farmer groups and communities. Follow-up assessments are expected to measure the effectiveness of the approach and validate results on the ground.
This model reflects TAAT’s broader scaling philosophy of building the human capacity and institutional systems required to move proven agricultural technologies beyond research stations and demonstration plots into large-scale agricultural investment programmes and farming communities. By strengthening the people responsible for transferring knowledge to farmers, the initiative seeks to ensure that innovation produces measurable improvements in productivity and livelihoods.
The five-day programme combines classroom sessions, practical demonstrations, peer learning and digital tools. Training modules cover innovations in wheat, rice and maize production, climate-smart agriculture and weather advisory services, improved seed systems, integrated pest management, digital agriculture, participatory extension, gender- and youth-responsive approaches, agricultural finance, agribusiness partnerships and value-chain development.
For Nigeria, where agriculture remains central to employment, rural livelihoods and national food security, strengthening extension services could have consequences well beyond the participating states. If the knowledge gained in Dutse is effectively transferred from master trainers to frontline workers and ultimately to farmers, the programme could help close the longstanding gap between agricultural research and farm-level adoption.
With approximately half a million farmers targeted through the training cascade, TAAT and its partners are betting on extension as one of the critical engines for scaling agricultural innovation. The ultimate measure of success will be seen in stronger yields, better-informed farmers, improved incomes and a more productive and resilient Nigerian agricultural sector.
