The National Agricultural
Extension Research and Liaison Services (NAERLS), Zaria, Kaduna State, has disseminated 30 technolo-gies to over 25,000 farmers in six years, an official has said.
NAERLS’ Coordinator, West African Productivity Programme (WAAP), Prof. Murtala Galadima, adopted villages in Nigeria, disclosed this yesterday during a workshop in Zaria.
The two-day training workshop organised by WAAP, which targets seed specialists and seed companies, is tagged: “International Seed Quality Control and Assurance System Training.”
Galadima said that the essence of disseminating the technologies was to boost agricultural productivity, enhance income generation of respective farmers and contribute to national food security.
He expressed concerned that while research institutes were working round the clock; developing technologies for planting, harvesting, weed-control and post-harvest processing, many of the technologies were not being used.
Galadima commended WAAP for its active role and assistance by providing facilities to go round villages and disseminate the technologies to farmers.
“Under WAAP collaboration, NAERLS has so far disseminated technologies on poultry, crop production, livestock management, post-harvest as well as income generation such as; tie and dye, sewing and soap making among others.
“On the farm, new technologies on maize, rice, beans, and fish among others were also disseminated. It remains the tradition of the institute that technologies are being disseminated on daily bases.
“The direct beneficiaries are above 5,000 and most of the neighbouring villages are also part of the indirect beneficiaries.
‘’So, it is safe to say that we now have 15,000 to 20,000 indirect beneficiaries of these technologies,” he said.
Galadima said that the programme started in 2009 with only three groups, adding that it had risen to over 65 groups.
‘’At the initial stage, we used to go to the villages to look for farmers to disseminate the technologies.
“However, now farmers are coming to us to say we need to join your group. People are very happy and willing to join because of the immense benefits of these technologies,” he said.
Speaking about a pilot biogas project tagged: “waste to wealth,” Galadima said that it was a new technology in biogas meant to replace wood cocking and to curb incessant felling of trees.
He said that the technology was designed to produce flame (heat) from waste which would be used for cocking.
“We are calling on farmers to come and see the technology so that it can be expanded to a larger community,” he said.
Galadima identified high cost of production and high temperature as some of the challenges of the biogas.