Over the years, there have been different initiatives to promote agricultural information dissemination to farmers in the most remote communities, but the costs and sustainability of such initiatives have been discouraging, leaving farmers with little or restricted access to agricultural information. For instance, the introduction of extension officers through the use of training and visit (T&V) approach, farmers' field schools (FFS) and other initiatives that require face-to-face engagement have been set up. These initiatives have been either suspended or downsized due to paucity of funds to scale and sustain it. Beside this, there have been initiatives where farmers have accessed agricultural information through USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) and interactive voice response (IVR) especially for farmers in hard-to-reach communities where internet connectivity is lacking or inadequate. All these initiatives were able to achieve some goals, but most times are suspended or ended without sustainability. More and more, the need to access quality agricultural information has become a major requirement to achieving high productivity and achieving food security.

Therefore, there is a need to invest in rural infrastructure development that supports access to relevant and timely agricultural information for farmers in the developing countries. Also, we need to invest more in R&D to generate more agricultural information that will address rising issues in the agricultural sector. In addition, we need to develop a platform that makes sharing of agricultural information easier, irrespective of locations or level of literacy.

In conclusion, no farmer should be left behind to access relevant agricultural information in the 21st century. When they are not properly informed, the results are definitely our today's reality. Information to increase agricultural productivity should never be a privilege but a fundamental right of every farmer to have. Information is the new currency to fund our journey to achieving food security. Let's all get started today!

Yours-in-Service

Babatunde