Agricultural Extension and Rural Development

The paper examines rural children’s role duality as school pupils and farm participants. Multi-stage cluster random sampling was used to elicit data from 229 respondents aged between five and sixteen years. It was found that 44 per cent of the respondents were simultaneously schooling and farming, while the remaining were only either in school or farming. Using eight common farm activities, a coefficient of farm participation (cfp) was computed, while another eight agricultural innovations were used to compute agricultural innovation awareness index (awi) for each respondent. It was found that no significant difference existed in farm participation levels of respondents attending school and those that were not, while a significant difference in innovation awareness (awi) existed in favour of respondents in school. Parental influence, peer group and school farms were also found to be significantly related to respondents’ participation in agriculture. It is thus imperative to keep rur...

The paper examines rural children's role duality as school pupils and farm participants. Multi-stage cluster random sampling was used to elicit data from 229 respondents aged between five and sixteen years. It was found that 44 per cent of the respondents were simultaneously schooling and farming, while the remaining were only either in school or farming. Using eight common farm activities, a coefficient of farm participation (cfp) was computed, while another eight agricultural innovations were used to compute agricultural innovation awareness index (awi) for each respondent. It was found that no significant difference existed in farm participation levels of respondents attending school and those that were not, while a significant difference in innovation awareness (awi) existed in favour of respondents in school. Parental influence, peer group and school farms were also found to be significantly related to respondents' participation in agriculture. It is thus imperative to keep rural children in school even as they are engaged in farming activities. Résumé Cet article examine la dualité du rôle des enfants vivant en milieu rural en tant qu'écoliers et en tant qu'intervenants dans les activités agricoles. Un échantillonnage aléatoire en plusieurs étapes a été pratiqué pour tirer au clair les

The importance of agricultural production in poverty eradication among developing countries is, perhaps, unarguable. In Nigeria, like many developing nations, the bulk of agricultural products used for food, raw materials and exports emanate from rural communities-where more than two-thirds of the population reside. Unfortunately, rural farming is beset with a number of problems that must be adequately addressed in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Availability and adequacy of infrastructure such as health, education, communication and transportation facilities are essential for agricultural and rural development. Among the most severe problems faced by rural people and their livelihoods is the poor state of infrastructure, especially in the area of transportation. Transportation of farm inputs and outputs has been a great problem for rural farmers in Nigeria. Poor or inadequate transportation facilities have caused great losses and underproduction among farmers. Rural livelihood activities are not, however, limited to agriculture. Artisans, traders, teachers and others are increasingly found in rural communities (Adisa and Adekunle 2007). And just like the farmers, the other rural occupational

Legumes occupy a special position in Nigeria’s agricultural landscape. Apart from being relatively affordable sources of protein, legumes have the unique ability of soil enrichment, thus making them suitable in most farming systems in Nigeria. Unfortunately, legume production suffers from several challenges, chief among which is pest and disease infestation. This study investigated the level, types, determinants, and perceived effectiveness of the use of indigenous crop protection practices (ICPPs) among legume farmers in north-central Nigeria. A four-stage random sampling procedure was used to select 327 respondents, consisting of farmers cultivating cow pea, pea nut, and soya bean in Benue, Kogi, and Kwara States. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to elicit data from respondents. The study identified major pests and diseases of legumes, noted a rising trend in infestation, and revealed that traditional crop protection practices preponderated over chemical applicat...

The study examined factors influencing the postharvest losses of yam among farmers in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Multistage random sampling techniques were used to select 200 respondents from four (4) Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the State. Data were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics such as frequency counts and percentages, and inferential statistic of the multiple regression analysis. Findings reveal that more than half (56.8%) of the respondents were the age range of 51-60 years and most (94.4%) were small scale farmers cultivating less than 5 hectares of farmland. Majority of the respondents were male and had no formal education. The study further reveals that the farmers had an average knowledge on postharvest activities in yam production. Major causes of postharvest losses in yam production were found to include over-storage, ineffective post handling of yam, high cost of transportation, lack of storage/processing facilities, theft on yam, lack of improved technology...

The study examined the nutritional status of farm families in Oriade Local Government Area (LGA) of Osun State, Nigeria. Structured questionnaires were administered to 110 respondents who were randomly selected from 3 villages from the LGA using multistage random sampling techniques. These villages were Ijebu-Ijesha, IlokoIjesha and Iwoye-Ijesha. However, 97 questionnaires were eventually retrieved for the study analysis. Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean, frequency counts and percentages. Findings reveal that 60.0% of the respondents were between the age range of 41-60 years and most (81.4%) operate a nuclear family system with moderate household members of not more than ten (90.8%). Majority of the respondents were male, married and had formal education. Chi-Square analysis shows a significant relationship between some socio-economic characteristics of the farm families such as educational level and occupation, and their knowledge on food nutrit...

Persistent drop in quality of Nigerian cocoa exported to the international communities portends a grave danger to the economy of the country. This study investigates factors determining adoption of bean quality improvement practices by cocoa farmers in Cross River State, Nigeria. Using a two-stage random sampling technique to select 336 farmers from communities with high production, data were collected with a structured questionnaire and subjected to factor analysis and descriptive statistical procedures. The data revealed that majority of the respondents (66.1%) were male with mean age of 48 years, 78.6% were formally educated whereas 31.0% had a quarterly contact with extension agents. Most of the respondents (98.2%) had high perception on practices considered as being adequate for improving the quality of cocoa beans. There was a positive and significant relationship between perception on cocoa bean quality and adoption of bean quality improvement practices (r = 0.142 and p = 0.0...

The study specifically examined tasks performed by extension agents in the EKSADP as related to climate change and the task areas in which they needed further training. Using structured questionnaire, data were collected from thirty three (33) randomly selected extension agents in the two agricultural zones of Ekiti State. The major tasks performed by the extension agents on climate change related issues were educating farmers on pest control (90.9%), rendering of technical advice to farmers (84.8%), establishment of SPAT to monitor climate change impacts (81.8%) and indigenous technology development to mitigate climate change impacts (81.8%). The training needs in the following areas as perceived by the extension agents were weather forecast skills on climate change (x =3.76), pest control skills to reduce pest attack (x =3.72), soil conservation skills to reduce evapo-transpiration (x =3.58), programme planning on climate change issues (x =3.45), agro-chemical skills to reduce weed growth (x =3.36), indigenous technology development for mitigating climate change impacts (x =3.30), use of cultural practices to mitigate climate change impacts (x =3.27), use of information communication technologies (ICTs) for awareness creation on climate risk management (x =3.21) and statistical analysis of field data on climate change issues (x =3.03). In order to improve performance and increase awareness on climate change impacts on agriculture, extension staff in the various agricultural organizations in the country needed to be trained and retrained in the relevant areas.

The study examined the benefits of adoption of improved rice technologies among smallscale rice farmers in Kogi State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to; describe the socioeconomic characteristics of the rice farmers, assessed farmers' level of adoption of improved rice technologies, identify the rice farmers' sources of agricultural information and source of information preferred, identify the benefits derived from adoption and identify the constraints to rice production in the area. Primary and secondary data were used for the study. Data were collected using structured questionnaire from 212 rice farmers. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results show that 59.9% of the respondents were male, and within the ages of 40-49 years. The majority (58.0%) of the respondents were married and 60.8% of the farmers depend on extension agents for agricultural information. The improved technologies disseminated; rice production facilities, rice farming inputs, field preparation were adopted with adoption index of 0.70, 0.71 and 0.77 respectively indicating high adoption level, while processing technologies had low adoption level with adoption index of 0.37. Increased output (98.6%), acquisition of skills (91.5%), increase in income (85.5%) and expansion of farm land (72.2%) were the major benefits derived by the farmers from adoption of the technologies. The study concluded that the major benefits derived from adoption of the technologies were increased farm size, increased output and Creative Commons User License: CC BY-NC-ND

The persistence of farmer-herdsmen conflicts portend grave socioeconomic consequences. Although there is no clear consensus on which group experiences greater hardships, the plight of arable crop farmers, who constitute the bulk of Nigeria's agricultural production population, continues to attract research attention. The study investigates the variables associated with farmer-herdsmen conflicts from the perspectives of farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria. Using a four-stage random sampling technique to select 300 farmers in communities contiguous with herdsmen' stock routes, data were collected with the aid of structured questionnaire and subjected to factor analysis and descriptive statistical procedures. Data analysis revealed that respondents generally experienced 'losses' in nine out of ten identified material and non-material resources, and 'gains' in three. Factor analysis showed that socioeconomic, production, institutional, and situational factors among farmers, with Eigen values of 2.6412, 1.6103, 1.2456, and 1.0348 respectively, accounted for their conflict with herdsmen. Awareness of and compliance with designated stock routes (situational variables), having coefficients-0.741 and-0.662 respectively were particularly crucial farmer variables of conflict. The paper recommends regular review of stock routes and educational campaigns to increase their awareness and compliance rates among conflict actors. Farmer-herdsmen conflict resolution initiatives should also incorporate a careful consideration of all conflict factors from the perspectives of the actors.

The study assessed the veterinary extension services rendered by the Kwara State Agricultural Development Project (KWADP) to poultry farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria. A two stage sampling procedure produced the sample size of 110 from five villages in the study area. A well structured interview schedule was administered to the respondents to produce data which was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical tools. The study revealed that majority of the poultry farmers in the study area were male (73.3%), aged between 31 and 50 (70.9%) and had over 10 years experience in poultry farming (74.5%). Only 17.3% of the farmers had secondary school education. Almost all the respondents (97.35%) were aware of the veterinary services of the (KWADP). The frequency of extension contact was monthly for 59.1% of the respondents. The t-test at 1% level of significance revealed significant differences in the means of meat yield and egg yield before and after extension contact. The s...

The study analyzed farm management extension services (FMESs) performed by the extension agents of Agricultural Development Projects in South West Nigeria. Study representatives were sampled randomly from Oyo ADP, Osun ADP and Ekiti ADP, making a 50% representation of the South-West. A proportionate sample of 80% of the total of the extension agents in each of the 3 case studies was randomly selected; making a total sample of 164 respondents for the study. Data were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, percentages and mean. Findings revealed that majority (76.8%) of the respondents were males, had higher certificates than ND (92.7%) and supervised more than 199 farmers (61.6%). However, more than half of the respondents were still new in the extension work with working experience of between 1-10 years (55.5%). The results further showed that only few of the change agents performed farm management tasks related to finance and marketing. The major con...

The study examined the factors influencing farm record keeping among small scale poultry farmers in zone A axis of the Kogi ADP comprising of -Yagba- East, Yagba-West, Kabba-Bunnu, Ijumu, and Mopamuro Local Government Areas. Using a three stage random sampling technique, 120 poultry farmers spread across the 5 LGAs within the zone A of Kogi ADP in Kogi State were randomly selected. With the aid of binary Logistic regression model, data obtained was analyzed. Nine (9) variables were hypothesized to influence small scale poultry farmer’s probability of record keeping. Out of which six (6) education, marital status, flock size, extension contact, occupation and experience were significant at 1%, 1%, 5%, 5%, 10% and 10% levels of significant respectively. They were also positively signed, a phenomenon which indicate that those variables were found to influence the probability of poultry farmers to use record keeping in the study area. However, extension contact was not significant at th...

Nigerians are high fish consumers as the per capita consumption is 14.9 kg per year and has the largest market for fish and fishery products in Africa. Artisanal fishers provide fish for large proportion of fish consumed by our teeming population. These set of fishers depend on crude gears and technology and small vessels in capturing multiple fish species. This study examined the determinants of the capacity building needs of artisanal fishers in Kogi State, Nigeria. The study used primary data. The primary data were collected using structured questionnaire. Multistage sampling technique was use to select the respondents. A total number of 292 respondents were selected for the study. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean and Binary Logistic Regression. The results showed that more than half (71.6%) of the respondents had low knowledge level and majority (87.0%) of the respondents had high capacity building needs. The educational status (p<0.10), years of experienc...

he study assessed the perceived effectiveness of agricultural extension methods used to disseminate improved technologies to rice farmers in kogi state, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to describe the socioeconomic characteristics of the rice farmers, to assessed farmers level of contact with extension agents, perceived level of competence of extension agents to perform agricultural extension activities and farmers perception on the effectiveness of agricultural extension methods in the study area. Primary and secondary data were used for the study. Data were collected using a wellstructured questionnaire from 212 rice farmers in the study area. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results showed that 59.9% of the respondents were male, with a mean age of 43.5 years. Majorities (58%) of the respondents were married and about 44.3% of them had more than 20 years of farming experience. About 99.1% of the farmers were aware of the existence of extension agents in their area and 87.7% were visited fortnightly. Also, extension agents were perceived to be more competent in performing field demonstration activities and the individual contact method was perceived as the most effective extension teaching method in the study area. It is recommended that the extension agents should do more in contacting more female rice farmers as well as male rice farmers; the extension agents should use variety of extension methods appropriately in order to meet specific extension objectives and to ensure effective use of limited resources, personnel, time and fund which ensure farmers participation, more farmers will be reached and all gender categories will be catered for.

The study identified the fisherfolks’ perception of artisanal fishing enterprises in North-Central, Nigeria. Information were collected with the use of questionnaire and analysed using frequency count, percentage, mean score and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). The result revealed that 68.4 % of the respondents preferred fishing grounds, about 59.4 % of the respondents preferred group discussion and visit by extension agents and about 61.5 % of the respondents preferred radio. About 38.9 % of the respondents indicated the evening as the preferred time to acquire training. The result showed that 92.8 % of the respondents had knowledge of the basic safety and precaution measure. Fish products should be free of any chemical (x ̅=4.47) was the highest-ranked perception statement. The result revealed that there is a significant relationship between the respondents’ perception of fishing enterprise and knowledge of sustainable fishery practices (r= 0.119; p= 0.001) at 1 percent ...

The importance of agricultural production in poverty eradication among developing countries is, perhaps, unarguable. In Nigeria, like many developing nations, the bulk of agricultural products used for food, raw materials and exports emanate from rural communities-where more than two-thirds of the population reside. Unfortunately, rural farming is beset with a number of problems that must be adequately addressed in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Availability and adequacy of infrastructure such as health, education, communication and transportation facilities are essential for agricultural and rural development. Among the most severe problems faced by rural people and their livelihoods is the poor state of infrastructure, especially in the area of transportation. Transportation of farm inputs and outputs has been a great problem for rural farmers in Nigeria. Poor or inadequate transportation facilities have caused great losses and underproduction among farmers. Rural livelihood activities are not, however, limited to agriculture. Artisans, traders, teachers and others are increasingly found in rural communities (Adisa and Adekunle 2007). And just like the farmers, the other rural occupational

The study examined the effect of value addition on farm income of sweet potato-based farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria. A three-stage sampling procedure was employed to select 145 respondents. Structured questionnaire coupled with interview schedule were used to collect primary data. Multiple regression was used to analyse the effect of different value addition activities on income received from sweet potatoes. Also, marginal effects were obtained to analyse the effect of each independent variable separately on income. Findings revealed that farmers who engaged in value adding activities had higher income than those that sell at farm gate. In addition, farmer marketing groups had a stronger bargaining power in the market compared to farmers selling individually. The major factors influencing farm income of sweet potato based farmers are; access to trainings, family size, farm size and the stages of value addition. The ministry of agriculture through the ADPs should work more closely with the research and training institutes in the country to sensitize farmers on the need to form more farmer groups or join the different developmental programmes of government. Through these groups, useful information about trainings on new vine varieties, value addition, prices and limitless market opportunities are disseminated.

The inability of public extension service system to adequately respond to the challenges of agricultural development and modernisation in Nigeria calls for alternative systems, including commercialisation of extension service. Because of their strategically significant role in national food production and farm family systems, this paper studied the perceptions of women on commercialisation of extension service in Kwara State. A four-stage systematic random sampling technique was used to select 230 respondents, while a structured questionnaire was used in data elicitation. The questionnaire also consisted of ten positively presented perceptions of commercialisation on a 5-point Likert-type scale that was used to calculate Extension Commercialisation Perception Coefficient (ECPC) for each respondent. Data analysis revealed that respondents were generally negatively disposed to commercialisation (x=2.69). Furthermore, most respondents believed that farmers should be encouraged to support commercialisation (x=4.35) and that charges, if at all, should be based on farming income (x=4.40). Correlation analysis showed that education (r=.644, p=.002), farming income (r=.754, p.=.005), and farm size (r=.776, p=.013) were positively significant correlates of ECPC among respondents. Also significant were income and size of personal farm. It is thus imperative that any form of commercialisation of extension service be preceded by farmer empowerment and proper orientation to ensure widespread acceptability.