Published by Osasere Edomwonyi Ikpoba
The Federal Government, in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and other key stakeholders, has unveiled an ambitious push to deploy Artificial Intelligence-enabled digital extension services across Nigeria's agricultural value chains, a move aimed at closing the yawning gap between the country's farmers and the extension agents meant to serve them. Speaking on Wednesday in Abuja at a workshop themed “Leveraging Artificial Intelligence in Digital Extension Across Agricultural Value Chains in Nigeria,” officials painted a stark picture of an extension system in crisis—and offered a technology-driven path forward.
At the heart of the crisis is a ratio that has defied decades of policy intervention. Dr Kabir Yusuf, National Project Coordinator of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) Programme, disclosed that Nigeria's extension service ratio remains between one extension agent to 5,000 farmers and one agent to 10,000 farmers. This figure, he said, is significantly above the often-referenced benchmark of one extension worker to between 800 and 1,000 farmers. The consequence, Yusuf warned, is a recurring cycle of lost yield, quality, and income—losses that could have been prevented with timely advice. “Every season we lose yield, quality and income to problems that a timely piece of advice could have prevented. 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,” he declared.
This sentiment was echoed by IFAD Country Director, Dede Ekoue, who described AI-enabled digital extension as strategically important to Nigeria's agrifood systems transformation. Ekoue argued that the technology offers a practical mechanism for translating national agricultural policies into farmer-level advisory services and measurable outcomes across the value chain. She emphasised that AI could dramatically improve the timeliness and relevance of advisory messages by tailoring information to farmers' locations, crops, seasons, weather conditions, pest and disease risks, and market opportunities. However, Ekoue was careful to stress that AI-enabled digital extension should complement, rather than replace, public extension systems and human advisory services. “AI-enabled digital extension is strategically important for accelerating Nigeria's agrifood systems transformation. 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.
The workshop, organised under the United Nations Joint Programme on Agri-Food System Transformation and Innovation in Nigeria (AFTI), brought together key players including the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), IFAD-assisted SAPZ, the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND), the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), and Digital Green Nigeria. The gathering marked a significant step toward mainstreaming AI across the agricultural sector.
One of the most compelling demonstrations of AI's potential came from the FarmerChat platform, an AI-powered advisory service deployed in partnership with Digital Green. The platform, which provides weather updates, planting advisories, and pest and disease guidance in both Hausa and English through text, voice, and images, was piloted in Kano and Ogun states. The results have been remarkable. According to Yusuf, the project targeted 24,000 farmers and successfully onboarded 20,899—approximately 87 per cent of the target. Of these, 14,895 were in Kano and 6,004 in Ogun, while women accounted for 7,665 farmers, or about 37 per cent of those reached. The project also trained 233 extension agents, farmer champions, and programme personnel, exceeding its target of 220.
Perhaps most telling is the impact on farmers' daily lives. Yusuf described how a rice farmer in Kano, who previously might have waited weeks for an extension agent to visit, could now photograph unfamiliar pest damage, send a voice message in Hausa, and receive a diagnosis with practical guidance the same morning. The platform absorbs frequent, seasonal questions, freeing extension agents to focus on diagnosis, demonstrations, and more complex field problems.
David Edimu, Country Lead for Digital Green Nigeria, highlighted the scale of the challenge and the urgency of the response. He lamented Nigeria's extension service deficit, citing a ratio of one extension agent to 8,000 farmers as “grossly inadequate” and falling far below the Food and Agriculture Organisation's standard of one extension agent to a maximum of 600 farmers. “We want extension services in the hands of every farmer, so they no longer wait five to seven days without seeing an extension agent,” Edimu said. He explained that farmers would access timely, relevant information through a digital application designed to improve productivity. Crucially, Edimu noted that the organisation's AI-driven solutions allow farmers to access information in their local languages. “Not speaking English should not stop anyone from using the app,” he said. While Hausa language has already been embedded, Igbo and Yoruba are currently being integrated.
In one pilot example, an extension agent responsible for 400 farmers installed the application for 100 farmers with Android smartphones, significantly easing his workload. The shared use of phones at the household level further amplifies the platform's reach. Edimu also stressed the need to move away from conventional extension models and embrace innovative, scalable approaches that reflect the realities of today's farming communities.
Yusuf offered a sobering assessment of the technology's role. While AI can handle up to 30 per cent of the advisory work, the remaining 70 per cent remains inherently human. “The platform absorbs the frequent, seasonal questions, and that frees our agents for diagnosis, demonstrations and the difficult field problems,” he said. This balanced approach, officials agreed, is the key to sustainable transformation.
For Nigeria's millions of smallholder farmers, the promise of AI-enabled extension is not about replacing the human touch but about making it more effective, more timely, and more inclusive. As Yusuf put it, the question is not whether AI belongs in agricultural extension—it is how to make it work for the farmer who needs it most. With the FarmerChat platform already demonstrating tangible results and plans for wider rollout across the country, that question is beginning to find an answer.
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