About – Extension Centre

The broad mandate of the Centre is to ensure that farmers and other rural dwellers and their households receive relevant information that would increase their production capacity, improve their well-being and lift them out of the poverty trap. The specific mandate of the Centre is to;

· Select some communities for extension intervention as demonstration platforms.

· Continually interact with farmers and rural dwellers and their households for the purpose of identifying their production, processing and other socio-economic constraints with the aim of providing appropriate science-based solutions to them. In this regards, women-in-agriculture is given special attention.

· Bring to the knowledge of the communities, relevant and timely innovations that would improve their development activities.

· Training farmers and other stakeholders in the methods of utilizing technologies made available to them.

· Provide model farm centers for testing and demonstrating improved technologies to farmers.

· Provide train-the-trainer programmes for the rural development in south-east agro-ecological zone and then, the entire Nation.

The major goal of MOUAU Extension Centre is to implement committed farmer-oriented outreach extension service and sustainable development in the South-East/ South-South geographical zones made up of nine (9) states namely Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Edo, Enugu, Imo and Rivers States. Carry out Agricultural Extension Research Linkages with relevant Federal and State Ministries, Research Institutes, Agricultural Development Programmes (ADP), Primary Agricultural Producers, Communities, Local Government Departments of Agriculture based organizations, Universities and any other research organizations.

i. Carry out Agricultural Extension Research Linkages with relevant Federal and State Ministries, Research Institutes, Agricultural Development Programmes (ADP).

ii. Identify problems of agricultural and rural development as well as food security programmes and activities in the South-East and South-South, Nigeria; and proffer solutions to them.

iii. Organize training for extension personnel and farmer groups on all areas of agricultural production and good family life.

iv. Develop extension strategies for tackling the problems of access and utilization of critical production resources among farmers.

1. Women and Youth Development:

This involves Skill Acquisition, Establishment of Agric-business (Eg. Fishery production for youths in Amakama Olokoro zone), training, farm demonstration and workshops. Others include, economic empowerment, cooperative societies and group formations.

2. Demonstration Farms Establishment:

The Centre establishes On-Farm plots to facilitate the adaptation and adoption of relevant technologies to serve as laboratory for the testing of new technologies. This serves as “Lab-to-Land” programme.

3. Health and Nutrition Services:

MEC delivers monthly clinical services in each of the three zones of Abia State: our medical doctors, nurses and nutritionists have consultation days in the month in each of the communities. Our target is to reduce the incidence of malaria to the barest minimum. Efforts should be in progress to interface with agencies that are involved in the Roll Back Malaria Campaign for assistance in the area of drug provision. Health and nutrition services also involve the sensitization of the farmers, especially the women and youths on the need for a proper health care management and basic balanced diet consumption. Capacity building on agricultural food production practices, food processing, value addition techniques, storage and utilization are also covered in this programme.

4. Community/Farm Visits:

Farmers are sensitized and educated in each community on resource mobilization, and the adoption of relevant technologies.

5. Collaboration with Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Relevant Research Institutes, other Universities of Agriculture and other Agencies:

In the workable linkage mechanism of MEC, we do collaborate with the above-mentioned institutions and agencies in implementing On-Farm-Adaptive Research (OFAR) activities. Under this arrangement, MEC will participate in Research Extension Farmer Input Linkage System (REFILS) activities and the National Council on Agriculture (NCA).

6. Communication:

MEC is involved in agricultural media and audio-visual production, relevant information retrieval and extension communication services. We produce newsletter, pamphlets and videos on the technologies we disseminate to farmers.

Adoption of model villages and communities is MEC’s strategy for achieving its mandate. MEC has, in its critical engagement, selected in the three agricultural zones of Abia State – Umuahia, Ohiafia and Aba zones respectively. These villages and communities are;

ZONES	ADOPTED COMMUNITIES	ADDRESS
UMUAHIA ZONE	Umudike Amakama Emede Ubani Ibeku	Ikwuano LGA Umuahaia South LGA Umuahia North LGA
OHAFIA ZONE	Umuokwa akoli imenyi Ndiwom Etiti-Ama Nkporo Egwuomwu Etiti-Ama Nkporo	Bende LGA Ohafia LGA Ohafia LGA
ABA ZONE	Umuonkpeyi Nvosi Umuejea Nvosi Ntigha Mbano	Isiala Ngwa North LGA Isiala Ngwa South LGA Obingwa LGA

Some of the achievements recorded by MEC include;

1. Establishment of functional model communities.

2. Provision of loans and grants to farmers to establish agribusiness.

3. Mobilization of youth and the women groups for re-orientation and empowerment.

4. Reduction in malaria scourge and malnutrition through our medical services and health and nutritional intervention.

5. Collaboration with national and international organizations in poverty alleviation.

6. Organization of training workshops for farmer groups from all the zones in Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi states.

7. Distribution of inputs like fertilizers (NPK 20:10:10), maize and rice seeds to our farmers in the agricultural zones of Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi States in collaboration with WAAPP.

8. Establishing of a 3 hectares demonstration farm at the university land in Olokoro.

· Training of the adopted farmers on improved agricultural technologies in Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi states.

· Sensitization of the rural famers on improved inputs and planting practices.