We are sending our innovations to the field – ARCN

The Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) has said it would play a prominent role in the country’s new agricultural policy. Professor Garba Sharabutu, the Executive Secretary of the council, told journalists at the sideline of the FAO regional meeting in Abuja that ARCN was strategizing to adopt demand-driven approach to meet the need of […]

The Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) has said it would play a prominent role in the country’s new agricultural policy.

Professor Garba Sharabutu, the Executive Secretary of the council, told journalists at the sideline of the FAO regional meeting in Abuja that ARCN was strategizing to adopt demand-driven approach to meet the need of the sector.

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“We are currently reviewing most of the innovations with the hope of actually sending them out to the field so that our farmers will access them more easily.

“One may ask: what are we doing in order for farmers to access our technologies, especially those who are at the rural areas? One, the government has directed that we must make sure we establish outreach centres in all the nooks and crannies. So, each of our research institutes is now mandated to open and strengthen their extension units in the rural areas,”

“Now, we at the ARCN are giving them the facilities – televisions, radios, teaching materials, chairs and where it is possible we are building offices for them so that we will go back to the yester-years where people visit one village or the other showing them how technologies are going to be adopted for improved productivity.

“The second thing we have done in order to ensure that this reaches the farmers is the radio and television we have established so that they will see it through the television practically and to listen through the radio more seriously so that all these innovations will be there.

“So right now, it is not a question of farmers not knowing where our research institutes are and where our outreach centres are, but is a situation that we will now move to them rather than waiting in the office for farmers to come to us seeking information. This is exactly what we are trying to do,” he said.