The National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA) and the Agricultural Society of Nigeria (ASN) have called for increased investment in agricultural research, technology, mechanisation and strategic partnerships to strengthen food security and improve farmers’ livelihoods.
The call was made at the 60th Annual Conference and Diamond Jubilee of the Agricultural Society of Nigeria, held at the Nigerian Air Force Conference Centre, Jahi, Abuja, from October 20 to 22.
Speaking at the conference, NBRDA Director-General, Professor Abdullahi Mustapha, said the country’s major challenge was not a shortage of scientific ideas but the difficulty of scaling innovations from laboratories to farms and commercial markets.
Mustapha, who hosted the conference, said biotechnology could improve agricultural productivity through improved planting materials, rapid diagnostic tools, biofertilisers, biopesticides and post-harvest technologies.
‘The central challenge is scale: how to move validated solutions from the research bench to demonstration sites, from demonstration sites to farms and processing clusters, and from promising pilots to reliable products and services in the marketplace,’ he stated.
He stressed that scaling innovations required effective extension services, appropriate regulation, quality assurance, accessible financing, dependable infrastructure and stronger local manufacturing.
Mustapha also identified climate variability, emerging pests and diseases, land degradation, water stress and disruptions in global supply chains as threats to Nigeria’s food system.
He called for increased adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices, conservation of genetic resources, early-warning systems, soil-restoration technologies and efficient water management.
The NBRDA chief executive urged research institutions, universities, government agencies, private investors and development partners to strengthen collaboration, adding that farmers should be treated as partners in developing agricultural solutions.
He also called for greater opportunities for young Nigerians in genomics, bioinformatics, precision agriculture, digital extension, food processing and other emerging areas of the bioeconomy.
In his address, ASN president, Professor Jude A. Mbanasor, called for sustained investment in agricultural research, extension services, financing and infrastructure to improve productivity and farmers’ economic security.
Mbanasor said Nigeria needed an agricultural system capable of feeding its growing population, creating employment and withstanding environmental and economic shocks.
‘An innovation that remains on the shelf cannot transform agriculture,’ he said, emphasising the need to connect researchers with policymakers, industries and farming communities.
He identified artificial intelligence, remote sensing, geographical information systems and mobile applications as tools that could improve agricultural decision-making and productivity.
According to him, farmers should have access to weather forecasts, market information, extension advice and production recommendations through digital platforms.
However, he cautioned that digital transformation must be inclusive, ensuring that rural farmers, women, young people and smallholder producers are not left behind.
The ASN president also advocated increased investment in irrigation, improved seeds, mechanisation, storage facilities, sustainable land management and climate-smart agriculture.
He said agricultural transformation should be measured by improvements in farmers’ productivity, incomes and economic security, rather than merely the number of machines purchased or technologies developed.
Mbanasor further called for greater value addition through processing, packaging and preservation, noting that agro-industrial development could create jobs and increase the value of agricultural commodities.
He urged the government to make agriculture more attractive to young people while improving women’s access to land, finance, technology, markets and training.
Earlier, Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Dr Rose Maxwell Gidado, said the conference provided an opportunity to connect agricultural research with the practical needs of farmers, consumers and agribusinesses.
Gidado stressed the importance of quality seeds and called for stronger collaboration among breeders, seed producers, regulators, distributors and entrepreneurs to ensure farmers obtained reliable planting materials.
She also urged participants to establish partnerships capable of generating joint research projects, stronger extension programmes and practical solutions to agricultural challenges.
According to her, the conference’s success would depend not only on the quality of papers presented but also on the partnerships established and actions taken afterwards.
The three-day conference, themed ‘Feeding the Future: Scaling Innovation, Resilience and Partnerships in Nigerian Agriculture,’ brings together policymakers, scientists, farmers, agribusiness leaders, development partners and students to discuss strategies for improving agricultural productivity and strengthening Nigeria’s food security.