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By Bashir Bello, KANO

The Nigeria Institute of Soil Science, NISS has unveiled mobile app, NISS Agro App, for farmers and extension agents to boost their farming production and promote agricmarket.

The farmers and extension agents drawn from the North-Western states converged Kano for a one day training to acquaint them with the app.

Speaking at the end of training in Kano, the Institute’s Northwest Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Sama’ila S. Noma said the ICT agric tool was developed by NISS to ensure best and standard practices in farming.

Noma represented by a Professor of Soil Science, Prof. Nafiu Abdu, who described the app as user friendly said it was to help the farmers to properly manage use of soil and boost agricultural production.

According to him, “NISS is an organization entrusted with the mandate of ensuring the quality of soil in Nigeria, that is the fertility of the soil are maintained for efficient and sustainable crop production.

“NISS in its bid to make food available to the teeming population of Nigeria is always organizing training for the farmers and extension agents on how they will properly manage nigerian soils and also boost agricultural production.

“So, this training is for farmers and extension agents to be trained on the use of NISSAGRO app. This app is for data collection on soil related issues. We collect a lot of data on soil fertility, soil conservation and also the farm produce as well as how they market it,” he said.

He urged the farmers and Extension Agents to utilize skills acquired from the training while also enjoining them to go back and step down the trainings in their respective states

A resource person, Aisha Buba while taking the farmers and Extension Agents through the usage of the app said the app is a work in progress but has the capacity to boost farm yield and agricmarket of the farmers.

She said the app will provide the farmers an avenue to meet a registered soil scientist for any form of assistance on their farming activities and on the other hand provide the farmers with ease of selling their farm produce.

On his part, the Director of Extension, Kano State, KNARDA-AADP, Gambo Isah Garko, described the app as a welcome development which will go a long way to ease the day to day activities of the farmers and Extension Agents.

He however said they look forward to more of such trainings for the farmers and extension agents in order to build their capacity to meet the demand of feeding the nation.