Prof Saliu Proposes NADTTC to Boost Food Security »

Professor of Agricultural Extension and Technology Advocacy, Olushola Jamiu Saliu, has called for the establishment of a National Agricultural Development and Technology Transformation Commission (NADTTC) and wider adoption of outgrower schemes to improve agricultural technology uptake and food security in Nigeria.

Saliu made the proposal on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, while delivering the 26th Inaugural Lecture of Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU), Anyigba, titled, “Breaking the Jinx of Agricultural Technology Adoption: The Three-Legged Approach,” at the university auditorium.

He said Nigeria’s persistent food insecurity and dependence on food imports were partly linked to the failure to translate agricultural research and innovations into widespread adoption by farmers.

According to him, the country has more than 200 million people, about 71 million hectares of arable land and a large farming population, alongside an extensive network of agricultural research and extension institutions.

He cited 17 commodity-based research institutes, three international research centres, more than 66 faculties of agriculture with extension mandates and the Agricultural Extension Research Liaison Services (AERLS) as part of the country’s agricultural research and extension infrastructure.

Saliu argued that effective adoption of technologies produced by these institutions could enable Nigeria to achieve food self-sufficiency and potentially produce enough food for other countries.

He described agricultural extension as a critical component of technology adoption and recommended the establishment of an Agricultural Extension and Technology Advancement Studies Department in every faculty of agriculture in Nigerian universities.

Presenting findings from several adoption studies, the inaugural lecturer said only 29 per cent of farmers studied had adopted and sustained the improved Tenera oil palm variety, while 53 per cent did not adopt it and 18 per cent discontinued its use.

He attributed the discontinuation partly to inadequate extension support, while termite attacks on young seedlings accounted for 56 per cent of poor oil palm seedling survival in the study.

Saliu identified poor access to extension services as the most serious constraint to the adoption of improved oil palm technology.

On fertiliser application, he said only 0.7 per cent of maize farmers tested their soil before applying fertiliser, meaning more than 99 per cent relied on blanket recommendations without determining the specific nutrient requirements of their soils.

He contrasted the situation with India, where fertiliser companies and state governments provide free soil testing for farming communities before introducing fertiliser products.

The professor also reported a decline in agroforestry adoption in Kogi and Benue states between 2008 and 2013.

He identified limited land size, inadequate management knowledge, ageing farmers without younger successors and poor markets for agroforestry products during peak production periods as major factors responsible for farmers discontinuing the practice.

He further noted that fruits such as mangoes, cashew and oranges often suffer post-harvest losses because of inadequate storage and processing facilities and unattractive markets.

On livestock production, Saliu said adoption of available vaccines against Newcastle disease and Peste des Petits Ruminants remained low.

He reported that only 11.21 per cent of farmers adopted Newcastle vaccination alone, while about 34.80 per cent adopted both vaccination and ethnoveterinary treatment.

He attributed the low adoption levels to inadequate knowledge, the high cost of technology and poor access to extension services.

The inaugural lecturer also highlighted the economic benefits of agricultural processing, citing cassava processing among participants in an International Fund for Agricultural Development programme.

According to him, IFAD participants recorded a benefit-cost ratio of 1:3.22, compared with 1:2.03 among non-participants, with a Z-test showing significant income differences at the one per cent level.

Three-legged model

Saliu proposed a three-legged approach built around government support, public and private agro-processing industries, and networks of smallholder farmers.

He said government should provide supportive policies, funding and infrastructure, while agro-processing companies should provide stable markets, storage and processing facilities and create additional value from agricultural products.

He added that organised smallholder farmers could improve their bargaining power, facilitate access to credit and shared machinery, receive training on modern technologies and aggregate their produce for large-scale buyers.

According to him, the three pillars would work together by allowing government to absorb policy risks, processors to guarantee markets and farmer organisations to share operational risks.

Saliu therefore recommended the establishment of NADTTC and the expansion of the existing National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) to provide broader coverage and ensure functional, effective, efficient and accountable service delivery.

He also called for the Three-Legged Approach to be incorporated into the commission’s operations through infrastructure provision, public-private partnerships and stronger accountability mechanisms.

The professor cited Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc, Presco Oil and Psaltry International Company Limited as examples of private-sector agro-processing companies operating outgrower schemes with thousands of smallholder farmers.

He said the schemes provide farmers with suitable and cost-effective agricultural technologies while linking them to established markets.

Saliu further noted that Nigeria had, between 2023 and 2026, recorded public-private partnerships involving 20 agro-industrial investors from countries including China, Brazil, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Germany, the United States, Norway and Switzerland.

Proposed projects for Kogi

For Kogi State, Saliu recommended the adoption of the Three-Legged Model to establish a public-private giant cashew processing factory in Anyigba, an oil palm processing industry around the Ajaokuta/Itobe axis and Alujuafara in Gbede land, and a cassava flour and ethanol industry in Ayetoro-Gbede.

He proposed that thousands of small-scale farmers serve as outgrowers for the industries.

He also recommended a mega rice processing plant around the Omi River and River Niger in Kotonkarfe, with small-scale farmers organised into groups to supply the plant.

Saliu called for the decentralisation and partial privatisation of selected agricultural services through public-private partnerships.

He cautioned that the cost of agricultural technologies should not be left entirely to private extension service providers and agro-industrialists at the expense of smallholder farmers who contribute significantly to the nation’s gross domestic product.

He stressed that agricultural development could not be achieved without widespread adoption of modern agricultural technologies to increase production, reduce waste, minimise post-harvest losses and improve the quality and quantity of food produced.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Inaugural Lecture Committee, Professor S.S. Arogba, congratulated Saliu on attaining the academic milestone and commended his contributions to scholarship in agricultural extension and technology advocacy.

The Vice-Chancellor of PAAU, Professor Salisu Ogbo Usman, described the lecture as another milestone in the academic history of the university.

Usman said it was the ninth inaugural lecture delivered since he assumed office on February 11, 2026, as the university’s sixth substantive vice-chancellor.

He said the sustained pace of inaugural lectures reflected what he described as a growing research culture at the institution.

The vice-chancellor congratulated Saliu and commended the lecture for linking agricultural science with the practical realities faced by Nigerian farmers.

He observed that despite decades of research and investment in improved agricultural technologies, many innovations designed to increase productivity and improve farmers’ livelihoods had not translated sufficiently into practices on farms.

“Technology does not adopt itself,” Usman said, stressing the importance of effective mechanisms for translating research into practical agricultural activities.

He said the subject of the lecture was particularly relevant to Nigeria amid food insecurity, rising food prices, population growth and the continuing gap between agricultural research and its practical impact.

Usman reaffirmed the university’s commitment to excellence in teaching, research, innovation and character development.

The event ended with the presentation of the inaugural lecture certificate, plaque and medal to Saliu.

It was attended by members of the university’s Governing Council, Management and Senate, academic and non-teaching staff, students, scholars from other institutions, religious and traditional leaders and other guests from within and outside the university community.