By; SANI ALIYU, Zaria
The Executive Director National Agricultural Extension Research and Liaison Services (NAERLS/ABU) Zaria, Professor Emmanuel Ikani has said that the institute is collaborating with AGRA to train farmers on digital farming that will benefit them.
He stated this while declaring open a sensitization training of Community Based Advisors (CBS) on how to use AGRA Smart Phone which consist of all information regarding its activities, which was held at NAERLS Ultra Modern Hall.
Represented by the Assistant Director, Extension Training and Outreach, Professor Muhammad Musa Jaliya, he said, as the world is changing to digital operations, agriculture is not left out.
Professor Ikani charged the CBS to listen attentively, so that they can go back to their communities and train others.
He expressed hope that the training will be very useful to the participants.
In her remarks, the Agricultural for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) Programme Officer, Kaduna State Dr. Esther Ibrahim said she was encouraged with the number of CBS female, mostly youth at the training.
Dr. Ibrahim said with this development, female will train females as against male training them.
According to her, agriculture is having a paradigm shift and that of the digital age.
The Programme Officer added that AGRA Kaduna Consortium will continue to deliver good results to agricultural development.
Also speaking Barrister Hadiza Kabiru of NAERLS, said the large turnout of women as CBS is encouraging and transformation in agriculture is making progress in Nigeria.
Hadiza Kabiru commended AGRA for sustaining its core mandate and the women encouraged to venture into agriculture business is highly commendable.
Giving an overview of the programme, the Programme Manager AGRA Kaduna State Consortium, Professor C.K Daudu said that they are building small holders farmers resilience and reaching vulnerability in the maize based system in Kaduna State.
Prof. Daudu said through strengthened market participation, extension and regenerative agricultural consortium, results are being achieved.
According to him, AGRA has now moved farmers from analogue to the digital world by providing
cell phones that have applications which contain all its activities.
