NISS develops mobile app to boost food production

As part of a concerted effort to boost food production in Nigeria, the Nigerian Institute of Soil Science (NISS) has developed a mobile application dubbed the NISS Agro App.

The NISS Agro app was unveiled to extension officers, farmers and other agricultural stakeholders in the North-Central Zone during a workshop at the Entrepreneurship Center of the Federal University of Technology in Minna.

The Zone Coordinator, NISS North Central Zone, Professor Akim Osunde, said the app will ensure adequate sharing of soil information, agricultural research publications and frequent engagement with extension service providers, farmers as well as access to NISS services nationwide, adding that the institute saw fit to hold the workshop at the zonal level to acquaint stakeholders with the mobile application.

“In April 2022, NISS developed and implemented an Agro Mobile app to promote the services of registered soil scientists and engage farmers, extension officers, researchers, agro dealers and other stakeholders on good practices agriculture, fertilizer recommendations and technology needed to improve soil and food production in every locality in Nigeria,” he said.
Osunde said the training would be purely hands-on while revealing that participants only needed a working Android or smartphone to enable them to download the app from the various online stores. He urged participants to pay close attention in order to understand the use of the app to improve food security in the country.
Explaining to participants how to use the NISS Agro app, the resource person from NISS headquarters in Abuja, Humphrey Nweke, said the app will provide information to farmers and extension workers on raising awareness of the benefits of different fertilizers and improved seed varieties.
He noted that the app would collect soil data such as potassium, nitrogen, PH, sulfur and phosphorus content, using GPS location in Nigeria from researchers and academics, as well as a list of registered soil scientists, their area of ​​specialization, contact details and organizational affiliation information.
Similar trainings took place in the other five geopolitical zones of the country in July 2022.