Africa
THE Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), FCT Chapter, has called on the FCT administration to provide transportation for extension workers in the territory.
SWOFON made the call on Thursday in Abuja during its Community Scorecard tagged “Smallholder women farmers access to extension services in FCT from 2020 to 2023.’’
The organisation said the gesture would ensure effective extension service delivery and enhance food production.
Chika Orji, Programme Officer, SWOFON, who analysed the scorecard conducted by SWOFON in collaboration with ActionAid Nigeria (AAN), said that at the moment, extension workers hardly visited the farms due to lack of transportation.
Orji, who is also the Project Lead, said the scorecard was designed to collect data from smallholder women farmers in the six area councils of Abaji, AMAC, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali in FCT.
The programme officer said that, oftentimes, farmers would have to leave their farms, transport themselves to access extension services instead of the agents to carry-out on the spot assessment of farms and accord them the needed guidance.
She listed other challenges facing the farmers as inadequate extension agents, inappropriate timing for extension activities support, using unprofessional extension services and nepotic activities towards extension service delivery.
Orji identified the scorecard’s objectives as assessing smallholder women farmers’ access to agricultural extension services in FCT, advocate for improved access to agricultural extension services for the farmers.
“It aims to provide information of smallholder women farmers’ rating/scoring on access to agricultural extension services to government officials, the media and the public.
“To engage policy makers at different levels towards increased investment and qualitative spending in agriculture targeting women farmers,’’ she said.
Orji recommended employment of more extension workers, increased budget allocation for extension services to women, training of the agents on modern agricultural technologies, among others.
Mrs Comfort Sunday, SWOFON Coordinator, FCT, said she had paid money on several occasions to visit extension workers in their domain to enhance her farming activities describing the situation as unhealthy.
“With this arrangement we cannot get the best from extension workers because they are supposed to visit our farmers and practicalise whatever they are teaching us but the reverse is the case.
“There are instances were l have to pay transport fare of one of our members back home after receiving training from the extension worker because she could not afford her fare,’’ she said.
Mr Enoch Jiya, Zonal Extension Service Officer, FCT Agricultural Development Programme (ADP), decried the dearth of extension agents in the territory.
Jiya said that they used to have no fewer than 20 extension workers in Bwari area council in the past.
He regretted, however, that at the moment, they had less than seven workers.
Jiya described the number as grossly inadequate to meet the extension service requirement by farmers in the area and boost food production.
He said at the moment, extension agents were unable to carry out demonstration farm like fertiliser application among others due to inadequacy of the professionals and lack of fund.
“In times past, extension agents are mobilised, empowered, given kits, receive trainings every two weeks, among others to effectively execute their duties; but today such things are not available,” he said.(NAN
A.I
July 25, 2024 @ 15: 32 GMT|
Tags: Chika Orji Mr Enoch Jiya
