A call has gone to the relevant stakeholders to provide timely and adequate information to farmers on the latest agricultural technologies that will boost farming. This charge was given by Prof. Olusola Oyewole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), during his keynote addressed delivered at the workshop on Effective Extension Service Delivery in Nigeria, organised by the Agricultural Media Resources and Extension Centre (AMREC) of the University.
Represented by the Dean, College of Environmental Resources Management (COLERM), Prof. Clement Adeofun, the Vice-Chancellor stated that the history of Agricultural Extension was interwoven with that of Agricultural Development because Agricultural Extension covered all areas of agriculture. The Vice-Chancellor stated that the information exchange between the farmers and researchers was being accomplished through different extension methods used by the extension agents and agencies. He noted that effective Agricultural Extension services depended greatly on the available information that could aid farmers’ production and quality of life. He enjoined participants to see the workshop as an ‘eye opener’ for them, to re-appraise their proficiency in technology acquisition.
The Director of AMREC, Prof. (Mrs.) Carolyn Afolami, said the decision to organise the workshop was “deliberate” because it was specifically targeted at renewing the skills and competencies required to provide quality and efficient extension service and networking of researchers to the farmers, to attain sustainable and rewarding agricultural value-chain. She stated that AMREC was repositioning itself as a formidable arm of the University that would foster food security and national development through enhanced agricultural enterprises, while working with the farmers in promoting the adoption of agricultural innovations and technologies.
The Director called on extension workers in the country to be versatile and abreast of technological developments, to effectively disseminate vital information that would stimulate agricultural production and enhance the livelihood of rural farmers. She added that the workshop was organised to rejuvenate the knowledge of extension officers on the use of modern techniques and skills that could make them more resourceful, as she urged the participants to contribute their quota in realizing the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government.
