{
  "id": 11349756,
  "title": "Kyari: Nigeria Can’t Achieve Food Security by Solely Expanding Farmland",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/kyari-nigeria-cant-achieve-food-security-by-solely-expanding-farmland",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-02T03:50:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "This Day",
    "slug": "this-day",
    "url": "https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/10/02/kyari-nigeria-cant-achieve-food-security-by-solely-expanding-farmland/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nigeria's Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has cautioned that the nation cannot achieve food security by merely expanding farmland. Speaking at the opening of Africa Agribusiness Extension Summit (AAES) 2026, Kyari emphasized that productivity gains must stem from knowledge, technology, and robust agricultural extension systems. He argued that agricultural extension should be treated as critical infrastructure, capable of delivering productivity improvements across millions of farms. Kyari highlighted that the country's rapidly expanding population, projected to reach 400 million by 2050, necessitates a move beyond fragmented agricultural interventions and the development of an extension system that can continuously deliver the right information to farmers. He stressed that Nigeria, home to over 240 million people, must produce most of the food required by Africans from existing farms, as simply acquiring more land is insufficient to feed the future population. The minister pointed out that agriculture constitutes about 34 percent of total employment in Nigeria, and the effectiveness of extension services would impact not only food production but also household incomes, resilience, and livelihoods. Kyari cited research showing that access to extension services results in lower food insecurity and higher household assets, while mobile agricultural advisory services have been found to enhance yields and boost adoption of recommended farm inputs. He stressed that relatively minor improvements in farm-level knowledge can lead to substantial productivity gains when scaled across millions of farmers. Kyari argued that extension services should be viewed as essential infrastructure, akin to roads and power infrastructure, which must remain functional and provide economic value over the long term. He compared the delivery of agricultural advice over three seasons to the need for infrastructure to function for 30 years, emphasizing the distinction that Africa must recognize. The federal government is transitioning from conventional face-to-face extension services to digital platforms, which can reach farmers more swiftly and in formats they can utilize. More than 100,000 farmers in six states have received weekly text messages concerning rainfall predictions and crop protection, and a digital extension platform is being rolled out to provide advisory services via text and voice in Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, and Pidgin. The government has also deployed over 1,000 digital extension agents with tablets through the National Agricultural Development Fund, and 774 agricultural desk officers are being positioned in local government areas. Kyari disclosed that he had approved a steering committee to harmonize the ministry's various digital extension initiatives among its departments and agencies, aiming to prevent the emergence of competing information systems. He stressed that farmers should receive a single, trusted message rather than multiple conflicting ones. Kyari also addressed the gender aspect of extension, advocating for targeted outreach to women farmers, including female extension agents who understand local cultural contexts. Tajudeen Yahaya, CEO/Co-founder of Extension Africa, highlighted the challenges facing Nigeria's extension system, such as inadequate personnel, weak data systems, and poor coordination among stakeholders. Yahaya called for increased investment in extension personnel, farmer data, technology, and partnerships, emphasizing that no single intervention can fix the system. He stressed that the economic viability of agricultural technology should be measured by its ability to lower production costs or improve farmers' access to premium markets, with the ultimate goal being cost reduction and profit maximization for farmers.",
  "summary": "•Declares extension must drive farm productivity James Emejo and Aminat Hassan in Abuja Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has warned that the country cannot meet the",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}