The Lagos State Government has urged stronger agricultural research and extension collaboration to address food insecurity and farmers’ challenges across the South-West region.

The Lagos State Government has called for intensified agricultural research to confront food insecurity and address the challenges facing farmers across the South-West region.

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The appeal was made during a meeting of the Steering Committee of the South-West Research Extension Farmers Input Linkage Systems (REFILS), convened by the Lagos Agricultural Development Authority.

The two-day meeting, held at the Lagos State Agriculture Cooperative, Oko-Oba, Agege, brought together key stakeholders from Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states, alongside representatives of research institutes, universities, Agricultural Development Programmes and policymakers.

Speaking at the event, the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Olusanya, said the meeting aimed to review progress made in 2025 and assess ongoing research and extension activities across the zones.

Olusanya, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Emmanuel Audu, emphasised that knowledge remains central to shaping policies, strengthening programmes and driving sustainable development.

“In Lagos State, the Lagos Agricultural Development Authority, our extension delivery agency, remains a key driver of this linkage,” she said.

“Effective agricultural extension ensures that innovation reaches the farmer — and reaches him on time. Results become practical solutions, inputs are used efficiently, and emerging views receive real-time guidance.”

She added that extension services must be supported by “continuous research that is localised, adaptive and responsive to the challenges farmers face today, such as climate change, climate variability, and soil degradation.”

The Programme Manager of LSADA, Toju-Tubi Aderonke, described the REFILS platform as a crucial mechanism for connecting research outputs with farmers’ needs.

“We are a community of farmers, and we are proud to support our community by providing resource-based support for different farmers and food providers across the zone,” she said.

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Aderonke noted that REFILS Steering Committee meetings have consistently provided opportunities to review past interventions, identify gaps and design new strategies to strengthen agricultural development across the South-West.