Digital Advisory Service Reaching 20,000 Northern Nigerian Farmers with funding from ACReSAL, to be embedded within the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. 

Three-day workshop in Abuja marks the start of a planned handover of the DPAE platform to FMAFS, with the goal of scaling the service to millions of farmers nationwide.

ABUJA, June 2, 2026—Precision Development (PxD), the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project (World Bank-funded), and the World Bank Gender Innovation Lab today open a three-day workshop in Abuja to begin institutionalizing ownership of the Digital Precision Agricultural Extension (DPAE) platform to the  Federal Department of Agriculture Extension Services (FDAE), under the FMAFS. 

DPAE is a voice-based mobile advisory service that delivers timely, localized farming guidance in Hausa to smallholder farmers in northern Nigeria, free of charge, on any basic mobile phone. Since its launch in 2025, the platform has reached approximately 20,000 farmers across eight states—Kano, Niger, Adamawa, Sokoto, Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, and the FCT—supporting ten priority crops, including maize, rice, sorghum, groundnut, cowpea, tomato, onion, okro, pepper and soybeans.

Platform data show high engagement: 72% of automated calls are answered, farmers who pick up, listen to 82% of message content, 97% report trusting the service, and 99% say they are satisfied or very satisfied. Access to timely, relevant information empowers farmers to make the right decisions at the right time, translating directly into improved agricultural outcomes. 

PxD built DPAE under a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model, in which PxD co-designs and operates the service before embedding it entirely within government. PxD has used this model elsewhere, most notably in Odisha state of India, where PxD handed a similar voice-based digital extension service to the Government of Odisha in 2022; that platform now serves more than 7 million farmers. This week’s workshop begins the equivalent process in Nigeria, as FMAFS Extension staff step into full ownership of farmer registration, content development, technology operations, and monitoring.

“The Build-Operate-Transfer model works because it places institutional ownership where it belongs—with the government,” said Jonathan Lehe, Chief Strategy Officer at PxD. “Government ownership is not a handover formality—it is the variable that determines whether a service reaches thousands or millions for years to come. FMAFS is well-positioned to make that case in Nigeria.”

“DPAE is one of the emerging tools supporting extension delivery in Nigeria, advancing the transition from traditional to digitalized extension” [Ayodele Olawumi, Director FDAE]

DPAE is expected to expand to at least 100,000 farmers during the 2026 rainy season, with a longer-term goal of reaching millions across Nigeria.

About Precision Development (PxD)

Precision Development uses mobile technology and behavioral science to deliver personalized, science-based information to smallholder farmers—helping them grow more, earn more, and adapt to a changing climate. PxD’s work reaches over 60 million farmers in Africa and Asia, with evidence from randomized evaluations showing US$12–19 generated in additional farmer profits for every US$1 invested. Learn more at precisiondev.org.

About the FMAFS Department of Agriculture Extension

The Federal Department of Agriculture Extension (FDAE) within Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) leads the delivery of agricultural advisory and extension services to the country’s smallholder farmers. The Department works through state extension systems to translate national agriculture policy into practical, locally relevant guidance — and is the long-term institutional home of the DPAE platform.

About ACReSAL

The Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project is a World Bank-funded project supporting the Federal Government of Nigeria — through FMAFS, the Federal Ministry of Environment, and the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation — to strengthen the climate resilience of smallholder farmers across 19 northern states. ACReSAL commissioned and funded the development of the DPAE platform. Learn more at acresal.gov.ng.

About the DPAE Program

DPAE is a partnership between PxD, FMAFS, the ACReSAL project, and the World Bank Gender Innovation Lab, seeking to strengthen the climate resilience of smallholder farmers across semi-arid northern Nigeria. Evidence from the region suggests significant gaps in the adoption of recommended farming practices – from seed selection to fertilizer application and weed management – leading to lower productivity and heightened food insecurity. The DPAE platform aims to close this gap by delivering timely, personalized guidance on weather, crop management, and inputs to farmers across the region. More: precisiondev.org/project/digital-precision-agricultural-extension-dpae-platform-nigeria.

Media Contact 

For interview requests, press enquiries, or additional information, please contact Gift Cyprian at gcyprian@precisiondev.org, and copy sgodfrey@precisiondev.org and ndegreef@precisiondev.org.

Links 

Precision Development (PxD): https://precisiondev.org 

ACReSAL: acresal.gov.ng

FMAFS Department of Agriculture Extension: https://agriculture.gov.ng/ 

DPAE platform: precisiondev.org/project/digital-precision-agricultural-extension-dpae-platform-nigeria

Quotes

PxD

“We have seen across our portfolio that government ownership is not just a formality of holding a handover workshop, it is the key variable that determines whether a service reaches millions of farmers, year on year, or not. FMAFS is well-positioned to make that a reality in Nigeria.“ 

Jonathan Lehe, Chief Strategy Officer, Precision Development (PxD)

FMAFS

“DPAE is one of the emerging tools supporting extension delivery in Nigeria, advancing the transition from traditional to digitalized extension”

Director, Federal Department of Agriculture Extension (FDAE) – Ayodele Olawuni

ACReSAL

“ACReSAL exists to help smallholder farmers in Nigeria build resilience against a changing climate. We funded DPAE because we needed a practical answer to a hard question: how do you get the right information into a farmer’s hands in time for it to make a difference on the farm? Today, 20,000 farmers – and counting – are getting that information every week, in their own language, free of charge. This is what climate adaptation looks like when it actually reaches the people who need it.”

National Project Coordinator, ACReSAL – Abdulhamid Umar