The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), has advocated for a fair and resilient policy that will advance and improve the livelihood of small-scale food producers in Bauchi and Gombe states.
CISLAC executive-director Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani stated this at a one-day policy dialogue to address gaps in agricultural extension service delivery aimed at improving livelihood of small farmers, under the ‘Together Against Poverty (TAP) project,’ with support from Oxfam, held in Jos.
“We believe engagements with relevant returning and incoming state actors, are imperative to re-emphasize the importance of adequate responses/actions towards the adoption and implementation of policies and practices and increasing citizen engagement-particularly of women small-scale producers–with policymakers,” he said.
Rafsanjani said advancing opportunities for the effective implementation of agricultural development programmes, adoption and adaptation (domestication) of the National Agricultural Extension Policy (NAEP) was important.
“Improving budgetary allocations to support effective and sustainable implementation of policies, programs and extension services to women and men small-scale producers in both Bauchi and Gombe states, (is necessary),” he added.
He said as part of efforts towards acheiving the goals, meeting specifically seeks to review national and state-specific policies and programs, “Identify state-specific challenges that limit the full actualization of policy interventions on extension service delivery towards optimization of farm outputs in the states.”
Rafsanjani added that “NAEP objectives seeks to adopt and promote a gender, youth and people with special needs (PWSN) responsive agricultural extension system through the adoption and promotion of measures that will enable ready access to extension services by these groups and the implementation of a minimum of 35% women access to Agricultural Extension Services.”
The one-day programme had in attendance policymakers, as participants from Bauchi and Gombe states.
