AI Could Help Close Nigeria’s Agricultural Extension Gap

News in Brief:

— Nigeria explores AI-powered agricultural extension services to bridge its shortage of extension workers and give farmers faster access to advice.

— A pilot initiative has already reached nearly 21,000 farmers, and could create opportunities for young Nigerians in agritech, data and content creation.

Nigerian agricultural stakeholders are turning to artificial intelligence-powered extension services to improve food production and farmers’ livelihoods nationwide.

At a workshop in Abuja organised by the Federal Government and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), stakeholders explored how technology could help address the country’s agricultural extension gaps.

Dr Kabir Yusuf, National Project Coordinator of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) Programme, raised concerns over Nigeria’s shortage of extension workers, noting that the country has only about one extension agent for every 5,000 to 10,000 farmers.

The disparity means thousands of farmers could be relying on outdated farming methods or receiving critical agricultural information too late. At a time when climate change is increasing extreme weather events and contributing to the spread of pests and diseases, the information gap could further threaten food security.

“Every season, we lose yield, quality and income to problems that a timely piece of advice could have prevented,” Yusuf said. “The question before us is not whether artificial intelligence belongs in agricultural extension. It is how we make it work for the farmer who needs it most.”

Proof of Concept: 21,000 Farmers Reached

Yusuf said the SAPZ Programme had deployed the FarmerChat AI advisory platform in partnership with Digital Green, with encouraging results.

The programme targeted 24,000 farmers in Kano and Ogun states and had onboarded 20,899 farmers by the end of implementation. Women accounted for about 37% of those reached.

The platform provides weather updates, planting advisories and guidance on managing pests and diseases. It uses text, voice and images in Hausa and English to make agricultural information more accessible to farmers.

For instance, farmers can take a picture of unfamiliar pest damage on their farms, send a voice message in Hausa and receive guidance on what to do next within the same day.

The programme also trained 233 extension agents, farmer champions and programme personnel to support farmers in using the technology.

“The technology is already changing the way farmers access agricultural information, as they no longer have to wait weeks for an extension agent’s visit,” Yusuf said.

The pilot suggests that AI-enabled agricultural extension in Nigeria is no longer theoretical, with thousands of farmers already accessing digital advisory services.

Agriculture’s Emerging Information Economy

AI-powered extension services could also create new opportunities for young Nigerians, allowing them to participate in agriculture without necessarily becoming traditional farmers.

As technology becomes increasingly integrated into the agricultural value chain, opportunities could emerge in areas such as agricultural data analysis, software development, digital extension, platform operations, content creation and farmer training.

IFAD Country Director Dede Ekoue described AI-enabled digital extension as an important tool for transforming Nigeria’s agricultural system.

“It offers a practical pathway for transforming national policy priorities into farmer-level advisory services, stronger value chain performance, improved food security and nutrition, climate resilience and inclusive agro-industrialisation,” she said.

However, expanding AI-powered agricultural extension will require addressing Nigeria’s digital divide.

Not all farmers own smartphones, can afford mobile data or have reliable internet access. Others may face language barriers, low digital literacy or a lack of electricity needed to use digital tools.

For the AI-enabled extension to reach the farmers who need it most, stakeholders will need to combine technology with human extension services, affordable digital access, and locally relevant agricultural information.