RESEARCH OUTREACH DEPARTMENT   

VISION OF THE DEPARTMENT

    To generate and deliver Institute's technologies, skills, knowledge, Innovations and methods to different categories of clients for 

    human well-being in the areas of health, Industrial development, wealth creation, food self-sufficiency, national, social and economic 

    development.

    MISSION OF THE DEPARTMENT

To plan, develop, monitor, review and deliver all the Institute's Out-reach activities to the benificiaries through the following respective programme activities.

MANDATE OF THE FARMING SYSTEMS RESEARCH PROGRAMME

The Farming Systems Programme has the overall mandate to develop new farming techniques or modify the existing ones in to the practices that are capable of sustaining crop production at a stable and increase levels without degrading the environment. The introduced production practices must be demand- driven and compatible with the resources and objectives of the farmers in the Central Agro-ecological Zone of Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES

• Characterisation of the farming Systems of the central Zone with particular reference to the major cropping systems and those that are based on NCRI mandate crops;
• Evaluation and understanding of the constraints and potentials of the cropping systems;
• Assessing the relative importance of climate , soil and other resources and management factors affecting crop production in the Zone;
• Generation and evaluation of improved management practices for crop production;
•  Provision of feed- back on production constraints of small holder farmers to commodity scientists, and
• Strengthening of links between research, extension and farmers.

RESEARCH STRATEGIES AND METHODOLOGIES

• On-station research directly conducted by the staff of NCRI in collaboration with staff of other national and international Research Centres to establish suitable management practices for crop production under low and high management conditions.
• Collaborative trials conducted by ADP staff on the improved technologies emanating from on-station trials,
• Organisation and promotion of crop production systems, on-farm screening, testing and evaluation of available genetic materials and technologies generated during the on-station trials.
• Modification and adaptation of existing technologies through On-farm Adaptive Research (OFAR) and
• Provision of a two-way flow of information between Researchers, Extensionists and farmers through MTRM.

THE OBJECTIVES EXTENSION PROGRAMME

The Extension programme has two broad objectives as follows:

•  Collection, interpretation and adaptation of research results from the research programmes of National Cereals Research Institute and disseminate these in form of recommendations to extension workers and farmers.
•  Identification of farmers problems at both field and home levels. These are fed back to the appropriate research institute for intervention.

These objectives are achieved through the following activities:

• Conduct extension research and survey to identify farmer's crop production problems
• Organise trainings especially on newly developed technologies
• Establishment of training/demonstration plots for certified technologies
•  Organisation and participation in Agricultural Exhibitions and Trade fairs
• Coordination of intervention projects such as Research Extension farmer Input linkage System (REFILS) and Root and Tuber Expansion Programme (RTEP)

Consultancy Services Programme

Available Consultancy Services
Technology development in the areas of
• High yielding varieties for specific biotic and abiotic stresses within the country on rice, soybean, sugarcane, Beniseed, Acha and Castor.
• Improved crop production and management practices for higher yield. Sustainable soil, pests and diseases management within our mandate areas.
• Improved farming systems techniques with focus on north central zone of Nigeria.
• Processing adding value and marketing channels for these products.
i. Training on production and processing of mandate crops for the trainers, students, farmers, and cooperative groups.
ii. Soil, fertilizer, plant and water analysis
iii. Agricultural data analysis and interpretations.
iv. Farm input sourcing and supplies.
v. Feasibility studies on agricultural and agro-industries business for the establishment of small, medium and commercial farms.
vi. Diagnostic and thematic surveys
vii. Disseminating technologies, impact assessment and adoption studies.
viii. Engineering, design and fabrication of machines for brown sugar processing, rice milling, oil extraction from Soybean, Beniseed and Castor.

Available Resources
• Well-equipped and functional laboratory for various analyses on soils, plants, water, fertilizers food items e.t,c
• Highly experienced and qualified multi-disciplinary team of scientists and technical staff
• Well-structured research and extension outfit.
• Over 300 hectares of arable land available for research and crop production purposes @ the HQs and out-stations across the country.

COMMERCIALIZATION OF RESEARCH RESULTS PROGRAMME

ACTIVITIES

•  Coordination of commercial research results, enterprise and entrepreneural activities,
• Conduct of investment studies and appraisals
• Addressing of intellectual property rights, technology transfer and commercialisation policy and management
• Pilot scale production units of plants, tools and machines
• Marketing of the Institute's products

iv.  Collaborating Institutions ( National)

Benue State ADP (BNARDA)
Nassarawa State ADP
Kwara State ADP
Kogi State ADP
Nasarawa ADP
FCT ADP
Niger State ADP
Taraba State ADP
Local Government Service Commission Benue State
                  ''                                      Niger State
                  ''                                      Kogi State
                  ''                                      Nassarawa State " Plateau State
                  ''                                      Kwara State
                  ''                                      Taraba State
                  ''                                      FCT, Abuja
Federal Department of Agriculture (FDA)
National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA)
National Animal \Production Research Institute (NAPRI)
National Stored products research Institute (NSPRI)
National Institute for Fishery and Freshwater Research (NIFFR)
National Centre for Agricultural. Mechanization (NCAM)
National Agricultural Extension Research & Liaison Services (NAERLS)
Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), ABU, Zaria
National Institute for Trypanosomiasis Research (NITR)
National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI)
National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI)
Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI)
Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T),
Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN)
Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN)
Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria (RRIN)
Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIOPR)
National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT)
National Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR)
Federal Institute for Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO)
Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTM)
University of Ilorin, Ilorin
Project Coordinating Unit (PCU), Sheda Abuja
University of Agriculture, Makurdi (UAM)
Benue State University, Makurdi
Nassarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK-keffi)
University of Jos, Jos

International Collaborators

1. IITA Ibadan
2. African Rice Centre
3. Inland Valley Consortium
4. Kinki University, Japan

Available Platforms for Interaction with Stakeholders

1. Annual Research Review Meetings
2. Conferences and Workshops
3. Field days

ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE
1. Soil fertility maintenance using green manure plants

• Integrated Planting and incorporation of forage and grain legumes as preceeding crops before planting

              -Canavalia ensiformis
              -Mucuna cochenensis
             - L.25
             - IR-48

• Simultaneous intercropping of grain and forage legumes above with Sorghum
• use of grain and forage legumes( L.25 and Mucuna respectively) at 30 and 60 kg/ha N
• Pre-Rice green manure use of Aeschynomene indica, Sesbania, Azolla and their incorporation

2. Efficient soil water conservation strategies for Upland rice, Maize production and Cassava/maize/cowpea, maize/soybean

    and    maize/castor seeds intercropping   systems
             - Tied Ridges/Cross-bunds
             - Grass residue mulch
             - Scooped holes
             - Integrated approach involving a combination of two or more of the above

• Low cost Earth Dams with main and Peripheral Canals as well as Central drain for Inland Valley Swamps and rice as well as other dry season vegetable productions

3. Agronomic practices 3:1 and 7:1 Rice: Maize and Rice: Sorghum strip intercropping Farmers that prefer Maize or Sorghum as major crops to adopt 3:1and 7:1 for those  that  prefer rice as major crop.

•  Rice weeding

          2 Hoe weedings at 3 and 6 WAT, WAB and WAS for transplanted, Broadcast and direct sowing of lowland Rice.
4. Increased land –use productivity through dry season vegetable production after rice in the inland valleys swamps and flood plains of rivers.
         - Telfaria
         - Amaranthus
         - Okra
         -Tomatoes

•  Reduced tillage techniques involving plowing once or plow and Harrow once for Upland Rice/Maize intercrop in the Southwest
• 2:2 Strip intercropping for Sorghum: Roselle intercrop

5. Striga management Approaches

• Intercropping of Sorghum with Sweet Potatoes
•  Planting of Striga suppressive Soybean Varieties in rotation with Sorghum

           -TGX 1649-11F (Early)
           -TGX1660-15F (Medium)
           -TGX 1445-2E (Late)

• Planting of Striga resistant/tolerant Varieties of Cowpea

         - B 301
         - IT82D 849
         - IT81D-994
         - IT8ID-985
         - Survita

• Integrated management using treated Seeds of Sorghum or Maize with mulching or intercropping with cowpea or melon
• Planting Striga tolerant Maize Varieties

         -0105-16STR
        - 9925-49STR
        - 8425-8STR
        - 0105-18STR
        - 9925-51STR
6. Successful prosecution of REFILS activities

• Refils Workshops (8 States in the Middle-belt Zone)
• MTRMs (8 States in the Middle-belt Zone)
• Trainings (Lower, Middle and Higher levels manpower in Agric sector
• Field days and exhibitions
• Developments of Recipes
• Production of Farmers guide