Stakeholders in the agriculture sector in Gombe State on Wednesday decried shortage of agricultural extension workers in the state.

They made their submission  during  the dissemination of community scorecard on smallholder women farmers’ access to extension services in the state.

They urged the state government to  urgently  recruit more extension workers as a way of mitigating food insecurity through adequate and timely provision of extension services.

According to them, the shortage has directly affected the quality of farming activities and food productivity in the state.

The Chief Executive Officer of Hope Foundation For the Lonely (HFL), Mrs Sarah Yapwa said it was shocking to know that only four female and 46 male extension workers were currently serving farmers in the state.

Yapwa said such number was grossly inadequate to cater for the extension services demand of the farming population in the state.

She urged the state government to “quickly” employ extension workers if the state was to make any progress in the fight against food insecurity.

According to her, if the state continues with the current number of extension workers, efforts to achieve food security for the state and country will be further threatened.

She said reliance on old-fashioned knowledge, obsolete tools and poor farming practices would not translate to the kind of result needed to meet the food demand of the state’s growing population.

Similarly, the Programme Officer of HFL, Ms Ballin James, while presenting the scorecard said in spite of the shortage of extension workers in the state, N75 million was budgeted for extension services between 2020 and 2023.

James also said that in spite of the importance of extension services to food production, there had never been any fund expended to carry out the required task with regard to extension services in the state within the period under review.

She said based on the research HFL conducted, in collaboration with Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), Gombe State chapter, majority of smallholder women farmers in the state never had access to government extension services between 2020 and 2023.

While highlighting the implications of farmers’ inability to access extension services, she said farmers may struggle to adopt modern farming techniques, leading to lower crop yields and livestock productivity.

”Without access to extension services, farmers may miss out on crucial information about new technologies, market trends, and best practices, hindering their ability to innovate and adapt.

”Farmers may be less prepared to mitigate and respond to environmental risks, pests, and diseases, leading to increased crop losses and economic instability.

”The lack of access to extension services can hinder rural development and economic growth, as farmers may not have the necessary support to diversify their agricultural activities or explore new opportunities,” she said.

James, while presenting the recommendations from the research, urged the state government to implement the recruitment of qualified extension personnel as indicated in the 2024 approved budget to fill the current manpower gap.

She further advocated for more women extension workers to be part of the recruitment for easy relation with smallholder women farmers in communities, whose culture and religion do not allow for interaction with men, who are not relatives.

In the same vein, Mr Muhammad Kabir, the chairman, Committee on Agriculture and Animal Husbandry in the Gombe State House of Assembly pledged his support towards ensuring improvement in extension services in the state.

The chairperson of SWOFON, Airudia Mamman, called on the state government to support smallholder women farmers by employing more workers that would provide the needed information and innovations to boost food availability

Responding on behalf of the government, Mr Musa Wakili, an Assistant Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Gombe State Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Cooperatives said the state government was aware of the challenge.

Wakili said that the shortage of extension workers in the state was due to death and continuous retirement of the staff without replacement.

According to him, the state currently has  50 extension workers comprising 46 male and four female, adding that only nine veterinary doctors existed in the state.

He said that the state currently needed no fewer than 1, 000 extension workers to assist farmers with the right extension services.

”The good thing is that the state governor, Inuwa Yahaya has recently approved the recruitment of about 500 extension workers to render extension services to farmers,” he said.(NA