Nigeria is seeking to strengthen its agricultural productivity and food security at a time when farmers face persistent challenges in accessing quality inputs, improved technologies and timely technical advice.

The country has significant potential to increase the production of strategic crops such as maize, rice and wheat, but translating this potential into higher productivity requires not only access to agricultural technologies, but also an extension system capable of effectively taking knowledge and innovations to farmers.

Nigeria’s agricultural extension system remains largely driven by the public sector, with participation from non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders. However, the system continues to face important constraints, including a low extension worker-to-farmer ratio estimated at between 1:5,000 and 1:10,000, limited funding, inadequate technical capacity and logistics, and insufficient digital platforms to support the delivery of timely and relevant advisory services.

These challenges can limit farmers’ ability to access and adopt improved agricultural practices, particularly as production systems increasingly need to respond to climate variability, soil degradation, pest and disease pressures and changing market conditions. Strengthening the capacity of extension personnel is therefore critical to ensuring that agricultural innovations move beyond research institutions and demonstration sites and reach farmers at scale.

Against this backdrop, Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and its partners, is implementing efforts to strengthen agricultural production and extension services under the African Emergency Food Production Facility (AEFPF). Launched by the African Development Bank in response to disruptions to Africa’s food systems, the facility supports countries in increasing the production of strategic food crops and improving farmers’ access to inputs and technologies.

In Nigeria, these efforts are linked to the National Agricultural Growth and Sustainability Agenda (NAGS-AP), with interventions focusing on agricultural sector reforms, improved delivery of farming inputs and quality extension services, support to wheat, rice and maize production, and increased private-sector participation in agricultural input production.

It is within this broader effort to strengthen agricultural extension and accelerate technology adoption that the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) programme is bringing its scaling expertise to the process.

From 7 to 11 September 2026, TAAT, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and other national and development partners, will convene a National Training Workshop for Extension Master Trainers at the Manpower Development Centre in Dutse, Jigawa State.

Held under the theme “Empowering Extension to Scale Ag Innovations”, the five-day training will bring together 100 participants, comprising Master Trainers and subject matter specialists from Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara States. The participants are drawn from public and private sector agricultural organisations and are expected to play a key role in cascading knowledge and technologies to frontline extension personnel and farming communities.

TAAT’s role is to help bridge the gap between proven agricultural innovations and their adoption at scale. Through its Commodity and Enabler Compacts, the programme brings together expertise, technologies and scaling approaches designed to support farmers across different agricultural value chains.

For the priority crops covered by the training, the workshop will draw particularly on the expertise of the TAAT Maize, Rice and Wheat Compacts, led respectively by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), AfricaRice Centre and The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). The training will also expose participants to wider TAAT approaches and innovations relevant to climate-resilient and sustainable agricultural production.

The technical sessions will cover climate-smart agriculture, soil health and integrated nutrient management, improved seed systems and seed quality assurance, integrated pest and disease management, safe use of agrochemicals, post-harvest handling and value addition. Participants will also examine commodity-based technology packages for maize, rice and wheat, including improved varieties, good agricultural practices and approaches for scaling validated technologies.

The training will further strengthen the digital dimension of extension delivery. Participants will explore mobile-based advisory services, farmer communication platforms, data collection and monitoring systems, GIS, remote sensing and climate information services. These tools are intended to enable extension personnel to provide more timely, targeted and data-driven advice to farmers.

However, scaling agricultural innovations requires more than technical knowledge. The workshop will therefore also focus on how extension professionals engage with farmers. Training sessions will address participatory rural appraisal, farmer field schools, innovation platforms, group dynamics, adult learning, communication, coaching, behavioural change and gender-responsive and youth-inclusive extension approaches.

The programme will also promote a more market-oriented approach to extension. Participants will examine agricultural value chains, financial literacy, agricultural finance, risk management, farm business management, contract farming and partnerships with agribusinesses and service providers. This will help strengthen the capacity of extension personnel to connect farmers not only with technologies, but also with markets, financial services and business opportunities.

The expected impact of the initiative extends well beyond the five-day workshop. Under the proposed cascading model, 100 participants will be trained as Master Trainers and subject matter specialists. Each Master Trainer is expected to subsequently train 100 frontline extension personnel and farmer representatives. If implemented at the planned scale, this could create a potential second tier of up to 10,000 frontline personnel equipped to further disseminate agricultural knowledge and technologies.

Through this multiplier effect, the programme aims to contribute to reaching at least 500,000 farmers with knowledge and advisory support on improved agricultural technologies and practices. The approach is also intended to contribute to the broader programme target of reaching 1 million farmers, with the training component initially aiming to reach at least half of this target.

The expected outcomes include stronger knowledge of modern extension practices, improved capacity to promote climate-smart and productivity-enhancing technologies, greater use of digital extension tools and stronger linkages between farmers, markets and financial services. Ultimately, the initiative seeks to increase the number of farmers reached with agricultural innovations and support greater adoption of improved technologies and practices.

The training will also establish a basis for monitoring the effectiveness of the cascading approach. Participants will undertake pre- and post-training assessments to measure changes in knowledge and capacity.

Field-level implementation will subsequently be monitored, with a random trace study planned in the fourth quarter to help validate the delivery of the training and determine how effectively knowledge and skills have reached farmers.

According to Dr. Solomon Gizaw, Head of the TAAT Clearinghouse, “By investing in the people who translate agricultural innovations from research and technology platforms into farming communities, TAAT and its partners are strengthening the foundations of Nigeria’s agricultural transformation.”

“The Dutse workshop is therefore not simply a five-day training exercise; it is the first step in a wider capacity-building process designed to create a multiplier effect across Nigeria’s extension system,” Dr Solomon added.

By strengthening the capacity of those responsible for taking agricultural innovations to the last mile, TAAT and its partners aim to make Nigeria’s extension system a stronger pathway for technology adoption, productivity growth and food security.

With 100 Master Trainers, a potential second tier of up to 10,000 frontline personnel and at least 500,000 farmers targeted through the cascading approach, the Dutse training is positioned as an important step towards taking proven agricultural innovations from knowledge platforms to farming communities at scale.