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The study assessed the effect of socio-economic

National agricultural extension and advisory systems have undergone major changes during the past two decades. These changes have been attributed to the success of the Green Revolution, commercialisation of agriculture and trade liberalization. In addition, transnational corporations develop a wide range of new technologies, which directly impact on agricultural production in developed and developing countries. As more and more production technologies become "private goods" and as an increasing percentage of farmers become commercialized producers, advisory services associated with these specialized technology transfer become progressively sophisticated to enhance its efficiency and effectiveness. This necessitates a policy reform that can accommodate the current scenario in the Nigerian quest for rural development. This paper examines the agricultural extension systems in some West African countries for possible adaptation and adoption in Nigeria's agricultural extension policy reform.

This study analyses the trade-offs between welfare (measured by income) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using a farm-level optimisation model that incorporates the predominant cereal (sorghum), legumes (groundnut, soybeans), livestock (cattle, goats and sheep) and trees (locust bean, camel’s foot) representative of production systems at two contrasting sites in northern Nigeria. The optimisation model maximises the value of total farm production, subject to constraints on GHG reductions of 10%, 25% and the maximum reductions that allow households to meet minimum consumption requirements. Substantive reductions in livestock and legume production would be required to achieve the maximum possible reductions from current emissions and would reduce household income by 22% and 44%, respectively. Under current production practices, reductions in GHG emissions reduce household income, which suggests the need for further research on productivity-enhancing technologies that could both enhance income and reduce GHG emissions in these production contexts.