Stories by David Agba
with agencies Sokoto state government has planned to adopt the World Bank standard ratio of extension worker to farmers in order to boost support for farmers in the state. Programme Manager of Sokoto Agricultural Development Project (SADP), Abubakar Sadiq Malami told Saturday Vanguard on Friday that the move was to ensure farmers got sensitised on new farming methods as well as advise on any problem faced by farmers.
“Th e state government has embarked on concurrent recruitment of extension workers to meet up with the required World Bank standard ratio of one worker per 800 farmers,” he said. Malami who disclosed that he met less than 100 workers when he resumed as Programme Manager, said that SADP currently had 179 extension workers and that Governor Aminu Tambuwal had approved the recruitment of additional 80.
Th e Manager further said that against the use of tapeline, extension workers in the state had been provided with General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) ascertain accurate total hectareage of Fadama and uplands.
Malami added that the Project was collaborating with the Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria for monthly technical review meeting with the workers for update on new agricultural methods.
According to him, “Th e Sokoto Agricultural Development Project has been assessed by the World Bank as the best in the Northwest. It also has the best Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre, according to World Bank assessment.” He said that Governor Tambuwal had provided all that was required for the Project’s success. “In line with his pledge to develop agriculture to the brink, there is nothing that we have asked the governor that he has not provided for us.”
