Pre-Colonial and Colonial Periods

"During the pre-colonial era by the British, conscious efforts were made in selection, introduction and teaching of the practices involved in producing good varieties of crops and breeds of animals. Farmers selected the best seeds for multiplication, from which the seedlings are been transplanted to their farms. Similarly farmers introduced to their farms improved seeds and animals from their neighbouring communities and from trans-Saharan traders from neighbouring countries. The farmers themselves experimented upon and projected their production methodologies without the assistance of formally designated extension agents.

Extension teaching was largely through apprenticeship. Families have taught succeeding generation crop production, animal husbandry and soil management through observation and participation by learners.Neighbours and friends shared new knowledge of improved farmpractices.

During the colonial era by the British, some agricultural development initiatives were undertaken with the purpose of increasing production. The first step was to establish the Department of Botanical Research in 1893 with its headquarters at Olokomeji in the former western Nigeria. Its responsibilities included conducting research in both agriculture and forestry.

In 1905, the British Cotton Growers Association acquired 10.35 square kilometres of land at the site now called Moor Plantation, Ibadan for growing cotton to feed the British textile mills.

In 1910, Moor Plantation, Ibadan became the headquarters of the Department of Agriculture in Southern Nigeria, while the Department of Agriculture was established in the North in 1912.

In 1921, a unified Department of Agriculture was formed in Nigeria, after the amalgamation of the North and the South. The major policy of the central Department of Agriculture was to increase production of export crops for the British market which was ready to absorb it for its industrial growth. Extension activities were therefore directed towards increasing efficiency in crop production and marketing. Regulations  were made to set and enforce standards in export crop production.

The colonial government also established some agricultural development schemes to upgrade the skills of farmers and to produce agricultural commodities. The Kware irrigation scheme was established in 1926. It was situated 16miles or 25.74 kilometres north of Sokoto town. Its purposes were to increase rice yields and provide experimental data on production under severe drought during dry season and flooding during the rains. The scheme started with 1000 acres or 405 hectares involving 800 farmers with farms situated along the river banks.

The colonial period also witnessed the establishment of the Niger Agricultural project in 1949 with the aims of producing groundnut as export and guinea-corn for local consumption. It was also to relieve world food shortage, demonstrate better farming techniques and increase productivity of Nigeria’s agriculture."

Post Colonial Period

Government led projects with strong extension components include:

• National Accelerated Food Production Project NAFPP (1972),
• Agricultural Development Projects, ADP (1975),
• Accelerated Development Area Project, ADAP(1982),
• Multi-State Agricultural Development Projects, MSADP (1986).
• Operation Feed the Nation Programme, OFN (1976),
• River Basin Development Authority, RBDA (1973),
• Green Revolution Programme, GRP (1980),
• Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure, DFRRI (1986),
• National Directorate of Employment, NDE (1986),
• Nigeria Agricultural Insurance Scheme, NAIS (1987)
• National Fadama Development Project, NFDP (1992),
• Poverty Alleviation Programme, PAP (2000),
• National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy, NEEDS (2004)
• National Special Programme for Food Security, NSPFS (2003)

Salawu J.A.(2008): AEM 301 Introduction to Agricultural Extension and Rural Extension. Course Syllabus. National Open University of Nigeria. Available at http://www.nou.edu.ng/noun/NOUN_OCL/pdf/pdf2/AEM%20301%20MAIN%201.pdf (retrieved 5/17/2011)

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Related Publications

• Adebayo, Kolawole; Babu, Suresh; Rhoe, Valerie. 2010. Institutional capacity for designing and implementing agricultural and rural development policies and strategies in Nigeria. NSSP Brief 9. Abuja, Nigeria: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) (Brief) http://www.ifpri.org/publication/institutional-capacity-designing-and-implementing-agricultural-and-rural-development-po-0 , http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/nssppb09.pdf , http://www.ifpri.org/publication/institutional-capacity-designing-and-implementing-agricultural-and-rural-development-pol