Making Biotechnology Work for Farmers in Nigeria: The Role of Farmers’ Cooperative Societies

Abstract

This paper has reviewed the giant strides which biotechnology has made in agricultural development. The paper proposes that to make biotechnology work for farmers in Nigeria there should be a paradigm shift from reaching the farmers with biotechnology packages as individuals to reaching them on the platform of their cooperative societies. The nature of cooperatives and their ability to facilitate access of farmers to biotechnology have also been x-rayed. The paper urges policy makers to explore the opportunities of increasing access to biotechnology through pro-poor farmers’ organisations like farmers cooperative societies.

Keywords: Biotechnology, Access, Farmers, Cooperative Societies.