INTRODUCTION
Extension started as just extension with the aim of disseminating
information to people who were not privileged to taste the four wall of
the classroom.
Extension was first used in connection will education over 150 years ago to describe the method of spreading knowledge.
THE MEANING OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION
Agricultural extension can be defined as an advice and
assistance given to the farmers and his families through educational
procedures on new farming methods and techniques in order to improve
their production efficiency and income bettering their level of living
and up lifting the education and social standard of the farmers.
Essentially Agricultural extension provide farmers the
scientific knowledge so that, they could solve their problems. It is
also the primary means of change, the reason for change, the value of
change the results you can achieved, the process by which the it is
arrived at and also the uncertainties inherent in this change.
It help the farmers to learn about what alternatives that
exist in farming so that they can choose the best alternative for them
selves
It encourages the people to;
- Discuss the condition under which they live.
- ii. To obtain a clearer inside to their problems.
- iii. It encourages people to decide
how to over come this problem either individually or collectively in
order to achieve better standard of living.
HISTORY AND BACKGROUND
Agricultural Development since Independence, the 1962-1968
development plan was Nigeria’s first National plan. Among several
objectives, it emphasized the introduction of more modern agricultural
methods through farm settlements, co-operatives (nucleus) plantations;
supply of improved implements (e.g hydraulic hand presses for oil palm
processing) and a greatly expanded agricultural extension service.
Some of the specialized development schemes initiated or implemented during this period include:
(i) Farm settlement scheme
(ii) National Accelerated Food Production Programme (NAFPP), Launched in 1972.
There were also a number of agricultural development intervention experiments, notably
- Operation Feed the Nation launched in 1976.
- River Basin and Rural Development Authorities established in 1976.
- Green Revolution programme, inaugurated in 1980.
- The world Bank-Funded Agricultural Development project.
While each of the above programmes sought to improve food production,
the ADPs represented the first major practical demonstration of the
integrated approach to agricultural development in Nigeria.
The experiment which stated with world Bank funding, with projects at
Funtua (1974) Gusau (1974) and Gombe (1974), blossomed into Ayangba
(1977), Lafia (1977), Bida (1979), Ilorin (1980), Ekiti-Akoko (1981)and
Oyo-North (1982) agricultural development projects. Following successful
negotiations for multistate agricultural development projects with the
world Bank each state of the country, and the Federal Capital, Abuja,
now has one ADP. The years since the early 1960s have also witnessed the
establishment of several agricultural research institutes and their
extension research liaison services. Some of the major institutes are
Agricultural extension and research stock production and fisheries production in Nigeria.
THE EVOLUTIONARY DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION NIGERIA:
The Nigeria National Agricultural
extension system has evolved over four centuries from a rudimentary,
export crop-focused service to what can now be described as a
professional service even if its effectiveness and efficiency remain
just average at best. The evolutionary development of the Nigeria’s
extension service can be grouped into three major Eras Viz:
i) The colonial and immediate post independence Era 1893-1968.
ii) The Oil Boom Era: 1970-1979.
iii) The state-wide Agricultural development project (ADP) Era: 1980-present.
The main features of the extension strategies/approaches that characterized the three phases are described briefly below:
1. The colonial and immediate post-independence Era: 1893-1968:
The extension strategies and approaches, which characterized this period included;
A. The colonial commodity extension approach: the
early part of this era-1893-1921 marked the beginning of scientific
agricultural in Nigeria and the beginning of direct government
involvement in agricultural development. The agricultural policy of the
colonial government was primary focused on encouraging only export crops
like cocoa, rubber, palm oil, cotton and groundnut to support the
agro-industries in Europe. The extension strategy was clearly a
commodity approach with some enforcement component. Extension delivery
even at this embryonic stage has the dual but conflicting roles of
education and law enforcement;
B. The Ministry of Agriculture approach: This
started with the establishment of the agricultural research stations in
Samaru (1921), Umudike (1923), and Moor plantation (1924) along with the
Regional Ministries of Agriculture in the North, East and West. The
extension approach was diffused, non-focused, combining advocacy and
advisory roses with input and credit distribution, and regulatory
functions. A major feature of the approach was the compartmentalization
of the service into the various sectors-agriculture, forestry,
fisheries, livestock etc, with parallel extension services.
C. The revitalized Commodity Extension Strategy:
(post independence). Again, the emphasis was on selected export
crops-cocoa in the old West Region, oil palm in the East, and groundnut
in the North. There was an obvious neglect of the food crops to the
detriment of the nation.
D. The farm settlement/ from institute Leaver’s Extension Strategy (1959-1965): This
was a community development concept to entice young school leavers to
farming as a career and to serve as models for concentrated extension
services. Unfortunately, the scheme failed to achieves objectives
because of exogenous assumptions in design and mismanagement.
The strategies adopted during the Era failed largely because:
– planning was top-down with no involvement of the clientele
– Little or no linkage with research in all the approaches resulting in the development of inappropriate technologies.
– Conflicting roles of extension –education and law enforcement.
– A flawed extension philosophy which saw the farmers as “traditional, fatalistic, ignorant and resistant” to change.
2. “Oil Boom” Era; 1970-1979:
The near absence of a dynamic research and an effective extension
strategy for food crop production in the earlier era was worsened by
the oil boom, which turned out to be an “oil doom” for agriculture. The
major extension approaches of the era includes:
a) The National Accelerated Food Production Program: The
(NAFPP) was a well conceptualized strategy which incorporated research,
extension and input supply (through a network of agro-service centres)
and farmers only minimally involved in participatory technology
development.
b) Operation Feed the Nation (OFN): This
program was introduced in 1976 as a strategy to substantially increase
food production. Unfortunately however, there was nothing in the program
that can be identified, as an articulated extension strategy and thus,
it died a natural death.
c) The River Basin Development Authority (RBDA) strategies: Although
the RBDAs were established in 1977 for the exploitation of water
resources for irrigation. Extension responsibilities were not assigned
to them about 1984/85, to provide extension services to farmers in heir
catchments area. They used the diffused Ministry of Agriculture approach
but because of their poor performance, their extension responsibilities
were removed;
d) The Green Revolution:
This approach was premised on the Asia success story, and was launched
in 1979 to replace the OFN with the primary objective to achieve food
self-sufficiency for Nigeria in five years. Similar to the ministry
extension strategy, it also place emphasis on input supply, improvement
of infrastructure and provision of price incentives. The
strategy/approach failed due to lack of focus and diversification of
efforts that could not be sustained.
e) The Pilot (Enclave) Agricultural Development Projects (ADPs):
The ADP extension system was based on the premise that a combination of
essential factors comprising of the right technology, effective
extension, access to physical production-enhancing inputs, adequate
market and other infrastructure facilities are essential to get
agriculture moving (FACU, 1986). They started out as pilot projects in
Funtua, Gombe and Gusau in 1975. success led to establishment of the
enclave ADPs in six more states. All initially employed Training and
Visit (T&V) extension delivery approach. This strategy closed the
oil boom era.
The myriad of approaches, which followed one another in quick
successions, left the rural populace probably more confused even though
there was some noticeable marginal increases in food production in the
operational area of the ADPs.
3. The state-wide ADP Era: 1984-Present:
This phase of the extension service was
characterized by the rapid growth of the ADP concept and reached
national coverage by 1989 and had full responsibility for extension
delivery at the grassroots. Common to all were an autonomous project
management unit, on adaptive research component input delivery system,
rural infrastructure component for rural feeder roads and water supply
and a systematic extension delivery using basically the Training and
Visit Extension approach as propounded by Benor and Baxter and Promoted
by the world Bank in Nigeria and other developing countries. Apart from
the “one-size fits all concept” of the strategy, it has proved to be
very regimented, and expensive hence the serious management problems
after the withdrawal of the world Bank support to the projects. It has
never the less helped to professionalized extension delivery in the
country.
Although the strategy was crop-biased on introduction, this
major defect was corrected in 1989 with the introduction of the Unified
Agricultural Extension Services (UAES) which made provision for the
inclusion to the other sectors, Viz; livestock, fisheries, forestry,
natural resource management etc thus, one village extension agent (VEA)
is expected to deliver extension messages in all agricultural
disciplines (sub-sectors) to the farmers. This was informed by the need
to remove the problems of conflicting messages to the clientele by
multiple agents. It was also expected to make the system move
cost-effective by eliminating duplication of efforts.
This extension strategy remains basically top-down in
approach and the farmer also still basically remains a passive receptor
of information, which may not necessary meet his needs. His involvement
and participation in technology development remains low.
CURRENT EXTENSION DELIVERY AND MANAGEMENT AND MAJOR ACTORS IN NIGERIA:
This agricultural development programs
(ADPS) nationwide remain the main agencies responsible for public
extension service delivery at the grassroots. A recent trend especially
since the new democratic dispensation, is the involvement of the local
governments in extension delivery, in collaboration with the ADPs. The
quality of staff and the resources of the local government are such that
they have only been able to make minimal impact.
While the various modified forms of the training and visit
(T&V) extension system remain the basic strategy for public
extension delivery, the Research Extension – Farmer-Input-Linkage System
(REFILS) is the management mechanism that has been used to identify and
bring together the stakeholders in agriculture development as equal
partners in development. It provides the structure and mechanisms for
collaboration in technology generation, adaptation, dissemination and
utilization with clear roles and responsibilities for all partners.
Although the REFILS has strengthened the traditionally weak
research-extension linkage, private sector participation still remains
low just as the farmers involvement, especially in the research agenda
and planning for technology development. The major actors and partners
include the states ADPPs (in collaboration with the LGAs in some states)
who are responsible to grassroots extension delivery nationwide; the
National Agricultural Research System, responsible primarily for
technology development and the private sector made up of both the
commercial organization (responsible for the provision of essential
inputs and services including credit and marketing) and the
Non-Governmental organizations, the latest entrants to agricultural
extension services delivery. The REFILS also include the government for
policy direction even though the policies over the past several decades
have neither been friendly nor consistent to sufficiently encourage
significant private-sector involvement in meaningful sustainable
agricultural development. Of special mention are two partners in
REFILS-the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services
(NAERLS) of Ahmadu Bello University and the projects coordination Unit
(PCU) of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
While the NAERLS is responsible for the provision of extension
specialist support service to the ADPs, the PCU is responsible for the
co-ordination, Monitoring and evaluation of their extension delivery
activities.The PCU, It must be mentioned is amalgam of the former
Federal Agricultural coordinating Unit and the Agricultural project
Monitoring and Evaluation Unit (APMEU), both the Federal Department of
Agriculture. Of course, the farmer remains the most important
stakeholder and centerpiece of REFILS. A major feature of the Nigeria
agricultural Extension Service in the recent past is the entrance of
Non-governmental Organization in extension delivery in Nigeria. These
NGOs fall into two major group, Via:
The non-profit, charity or faith- based NGOs or community/
commodity based NGOs and the private commercial organizations, which
have, profit motive associated with their activities.
These NGOs in the agricultural and rural development
sector, provide a wide range of extension education and technical
support services including micro-credit financing and supply of
essential inputs in several communities in the country. A nation-wide
study by NEST (1992) revealed that a majority of the NGOs in Nigeria are
engaged in agricultural production.
It is interesting to note that the sectoral disparity in
terms of focus and emphasis in the public extension service (crops Vs
the others) is also reflected in the public extension services (56% NGOs
in crops, 14% in livestock and 19% in fisheries).
Examples of the private commercial organizations providing
extension services include: the shell petroleum company (shell petroleum
extension project), the British American Tobacco (BAT), and ADCOT Niger
Delta Oil exploratory areas are community-development oriented, public
relations outfits, those of BAT and AFCOT are principally
commodity-targeted out growers schemes to ensure adequate raw materials
for their companies.
The importance of credit either in kind or cash or both and
the timely provision of essential production enhancing inputs have been
amply demonstrated as part of an effective and efficient extension
service by these commercial organizations.
Examples of the non-profit NGOs include: the Development
Education Centre (DEC) which provides extension support to women to
organize themselves into grassroots level self-help association in
South-Eastern Nigeria; the women’s Advancement Network (WOFAN) in the
North-West, promoting income generation activities among rural women;
the farmer Development Union (FADU) and the faith-based Diocesan
Agricultural Development Project (DADP) in South-Western Nigeria which
aims at poverty alleviation among small- scale farmer (Arokoyo, et al,
2000). Unique in this group is the international NGO, Sasakawa-Global
2000 which not only works in very close collaboration with the ADPs, but
actually uses the already established structures of the ADPs including
selected staff who are seconded to the organization.
Although approaches used by most of the NGOs are generally
more participatory, their linkage with both NARS and the public
extension service, (except in the case of SG-2002), remain weak
(Arokoyo,et al, 2002).
CONCLUSION
The early Agricultural extension system
experimented the pre-independence and immediate post-independence ones
as Lugarians and commodity-focused system largely neglected by the
farmer.
The Nigeria extension service has failed to acknowledge
farmers into an effective lobby because of the experience which has an
emphasis on what the government can do for the farmer rather than what
the farmer can organized to do for them selves. No matter how the
extension strategies, no significant impact will be made into technology
adoption until the issue of production enhancing input is addressed
through deliberate and attractive policy option on improvement in
extension delivery, as characterized the present ADP extension system,
it is necessary to appreciate agricultural extension as a purely
educational process. This requires the complete separation of future
extension system from any attachment to civil service agencies and
regulation.
Consideration Should be given to linking future extension to the
university which should be mandated to collaborate with NGOs and
international development agencies.
Source: https://ayangei.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/the-history-of-how-agricultural-extension-started-in-nigeria-till-the-present-modern-extension-and-how-it-spread-through-the-west-north-and-south/
