The advent of farm clinicology in the agricultural industry processes has meant a reduction in the rate of trial by error farming and what the US Secretary - Hillary Rodham Clinton at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Women and the Economy Summit in October 7, 2011 referred to as removing barriers for talents and skills of farmers to be deployed more efficiently and liberating the economic potential of production ties, to help elevate the gainful performance of communities, nations and the world
The purpose of introducing clinicology in agriculture is to help in driving agriculture - led growth as a powerful engine for development to impact on the agriculture labor force and agricultural chain worldwide such as seed planting, livestock raring, harvesting of crops, and the systems of marketing, food storage and preparation for consumption.
In order to ensure productive agriculture as well as positive benefits from clinical farm practices, farmers need to have access to fertilizer, tools, quality seeds, training, land and resources. This also underscores the fact that farmers through the imploration of clinicology can be afforded opportunity to accelerate growth in the Nigerian economy by producing more and cheaper food stuff for the country. It will also help to provide higher incomes for farmers, thereby closing the entrepreneurial resource gap for professional agriculturalists, introducing efficient markets and agric trade practices as well as creating new jobs in the sector.
As the need has arisen for farmers to be ennobled access to the reform protocols in the new techniques, the legal, regulatory systems and financial services to efficiently implore these noble production multiplication objective has remained within the clouds. One would not be wrong to say that not sufficient avenues have been explored to correct disinformation problems. This simply implies that most rural and peasant farmers as well as agric extension service providers are not yet properly informed about the new clinical techniques and the technical assistance programs available to them for promotion and gainful application of the innovative farming drift.
Policy makers, the civil society and private sector organizations should take it as priority to evolve more germane programs for small farmers to access the information and tools necessary for proper skill development as well as adequate participation in the positive behaviour change programmes of modern farming ventures.
The Nigerian Government as a matter of aggressive and persistent drive towards structural change in the farm methodology of the average farmer has engaged pervasive policies through institutional pronouncements and assistance to training colleges for research purposes and long-term strategic considerations. In the meantime, inductive alertness through agricultural literacy programmes for behavioural and skill transfer to impact on the confidence of the Nigerian farmer, who is investing in the development of human capacity in the agricultural sector has been little envisaged.
The United States Ambassador - Robin Reneé Sanders during the Isaac Moghalu Foundation Leadership Lecture Series delivered on April 23, 2008 at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos observed that poverty which is perhaps the greatest challenge facing Nigeria in recent times could be leveraged through improved agricultural yields. He thereby advocated a partnership in the federal, states and local government levels under the ‘U.S – Nigeria Framework for Partnership’ to support sustainable agricultural development and food security as critical factors in poverty alleviation.
Going by this incentive, farm households in the South East and South-South of Nigeria have been assisted with cassava processing, while farm households in the north, middle belt and southern areas have been helped to increase productivity and income generation in marine, freshwater aquaculture and dairy for domestic export production as well as cocoa and cashew tree - crop expansion.
It will be worthwhile to note that the pronouncements on the trending farm clinicology methods by the Nigerian Government through the Minister of Agriculture has since been considered at institutional levels and macro- agric bases by elitist farmers. Little however, has been achieved in the area of domestication by State Governments and bringing the knowledge and practice to the local farmers, who are still the bulk of 80% food growers in the country.
Quite daunting, the role of the private sector in improving agric yields in Nigeria has always been premised in the lopsided vision of unprofitability, leaving wholesomely the humanitarian aspect of providing training for the rural and down-trodden cultivators, whose efforts have oftentimes shrieked-off into soil infertility, lack of technological expertise and lack of access to information.
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