Prof. Patience Onu, EBSU DON
A University don, Prof. Patience Onu, has called for a more targeted and inclusive agricultural policy framework in Nigeria, stressing the need for differentiated support for both subsistence and commercial farmers.
Onu, a professor of Animal Nutrition at the Ebonyi State University, made the call in an interview with our correspondent in Abakaliki on Saturday.
She noted that although the federal government’s policy on food and animal production was built on good intentions, its design and execution fell short of adequately addressing sector-wide disparities.
“The policy shows robust intentions, especially around food self-sufficiency and value chain development.
“However, the current framework lacks the necessary specificity and resources needed to meet the distinct needs of both subsistence and commercial farmers,” Onu said.
The EBSU don identified limited access to inputs; poor rural infrastructure, financing gaps and market access as some of the core challenges facing subsistence farmers.
“Many of these farmers struggle with getting quality seeds; fertilisers, technologies and poor road networks and post-harvest losses compound the issues,” she added.
On commercial farming, Onu highlighted input inflation, climate-related risks and limited access to affordable financing as persistent constraints.
“The policy also fails to address rising feed and energy costs affecting profitability, especially in the poultry sector.
“Issues like insecurity and erratic policy changes further discourage long-term investment in agriculture.”
She stressed that bridging these gaps would require deliberate collaboration among researchers, policymakers, extension agents and livestock farmers.
Onu advocated sustainable feed innovations as a strategic pathway to achieving food security, especially in the face of Nigeria’s growing population.
“Government must promote the use of affordable, locally available and nutrient-rich feed materials such as cassava peels, rice bran, maize offal, legumes and moringa,” she said.
She urged investment in research to explore underutilised feed resources and support for the establishment of rural feed mills and feed banks.
“Balanced and affordable rations can be developed using local ingredients; these innovations must be scaled to improve livestock productivity and reduce pressure on conventional feed ingredients.”
On the challenges of policy execution, Onu lamented the persistent disconnect between research findings and farm-level application stressing that implementation gaps could undermine progress.
“There’s a significant gap in translating research into practice; farmers rarely benefit directly from academic innovations due to weak extension systems,” she said.
She further cited institutional weaknesses, poor project monitoring, fragmented governance, and lack of continuity in development plans as factors derailing agricultural transformation.
“What’s needed is a long-term development strategy backed by adequate funding, stakeholder engagement, and proper coordination of donor support.”
Onu, whose research included extensive work on natural growth promoters, called on the federal government to integrate herbal and organic feed additives into national agricultural policy.
“Herbal additives like phytobiotics, probiotics and organic acids are safe, affordable and effective alternatives to synthetic antibiotics,” she said.
She recommended increased funding for trials on herbs such as moringa, ginger, turmeric, garlic, neem, which have shown promise in enhancing animal health and performance.
“The government must support R&D, protect intellectual property rights and institutionalise the certification of these natural additives for broader use.”
She stressed that the adoption of herbal-based feed technologies could significantly reduce production costs, improve livestock health and promote food safety in Nigeria.
