Perception of Extension Service Delivery Among Cocoyam Farmers in Rivers State

Perception of Extension Service Delivery Among Cocoyam Farmers in Rivers State

Chapter One

Purpose of the study

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the perception of cocoyam farmers toward utilizing agricultural extension service by cocoyam famers in Rivers State.

Specific Objectives

To determine the perception of cocoyam farmers toward utilizing agricultural extension service by agricultural extension officers in Rivers State,
To investigate the constraints to access to and use of Agricultural Information by cocoyam famers in Rivers State,

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

INTRODUCTION

This chapter reviews the related literature on access to and use of agricultural information as well as the importance of effective access to and use of agricultural information by extension service providers. Agricultural information is an input or resource in enhancing agricultural extension service delivery for increased agricultural development and it is discussed in relation to the research area of the study. The last part of this chapter gives the theoretical and conceptual framework upon which this research is anchored on.

Agricultural Extension services

Agricultural Extension services are an important aspect of agricultural development agenda (Nagel, 2003). These services have also been a major contributing factor in promoting agricultural development in many countries. The services have played a major role in the achievement of the Asian Green Revolution. The key driver of this extension services is the agricultural information that is available through the extension service officers (Regina et al., 2006)

There is a significant potential of raising agricultural productivity through new technologies and improved extension but, these gains will not materialize without increased investment in Agricultural Extension services (FAO, 2011). Governments, aid bodies and Agribusiness around the world invest considerable amounts of funds on extension services. It is estimated that the USA alone spends about 1 billion USA Dollars annually on agricultural extension. The world over, the expenditure is in excess of 6 billon USA Dollars per year, (Marsh et al., 2004).

This shows that effective agricultural production, be it at regional, national or individual levels depends on effective delivery of agricultural innovation information to the famers. It has been shown that in spite of the relevance of agricultural innovation to production, many farming activities are embarked on without or with minimal knowledge production systems (Okafor and Fabiyi, 2011). One may ask why the case is so. Traditional extension meant dissemination of information on specific technologies but recently that scope has expanded to include issues of marketing as well as partnership with various agricultural service providers (Birner et al., 2006).

Dogliotti et al., 2022 asserts that the role of the extension has to change from mere consulting to supporting the processes of farm planning and evaluation. This cannot be achieved without proper information and communication. With the declining national and international support for agricultural advisory services proper access, use and effective dissemination of extension service information is paramount (Regina et al., 2006). However dissemination of this information is not only constrained by the agents, but also its form and the way it is accessed by the officers who have to use it.

Omotayo (2005) observes that agricultural extension depends largely on information exchange between and among farmers and a broad range of other actors. Frontline extension officers using the Agricultural Knowledge and Information Systems (AKIS) are well positioned to access expert knowledge or other types of information that could facilitate the accomplishment of improved agricultural activities to farmers (Adebayo, et al., 2007). Information and communication technology has penetrated all other forms of accessing extension service information and has tended to compliment and not to replace them (Meera et al., 2004). This calls for transformational effects on the part of extension officers into knowledge workers just like in any other industry (Adebayo et al., 2007).

Access to Agricultural Information by cocoyam famers.

Information accessing is a broad term encompassing the ways individuals as extension officers articulate their agricultural information needs. Accessing Information is purposive in nature and is a consequence of a need to satisfy some goal. In the course of agricultural accessing information, extension officer(s) may interact with people, manual information systems, or with computer-oriented agricultural information systems. Barriers that prevent extension officers from accessing and getting information are also of great importance in understanding the information accessing and seeking behaviour of individuals, and organizations.

Gholamreza and Naser (2005) investigated the factors influencing information accessing behaviour of extension officers in Zanjan Province, Iran. His research showed that there was a significant relationship between age, level of education, years of experience, and the worker’s level of job-related information with information accessing behaviour. The main reasons for accessing information by extension officers were holding training courses, solving daily problems of farmers and up-dating their information respectively. According to Gholamreza and Naser (2005), Provincial Extension Specialists who were working for the Ministry of Jihad-e Sazandegi reported radio, TV, computer, seminars and training courses as their five most used information sources and channels.

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

This chapter describes the research methodology used in conducting the research. It gives the description of the study area, sampling framework, research design, target population and sampling size as well as methods of data collection. It also gives the operational definition of variables, validity and reliability adopted by the study and data presentation.

Sampling framework

To establish the number of agricultural extension officers in Rivers State the researcher made inquiries from the DAO Rivers who was holding brief for the State Director of Agriculture-Rivers State. From the state agricultural human resource records for technical officers it was established that there were 210 ESOs’. For more statistical details see appendix III. This formed the target population of the study.

ThestudyusedprimarydataobtainedfromagriculturalextensionofficersinRiversState.A questionnairewasusedtoacquiredatafrom respondents. To determine a representative sample size from the target population, Cochran (1963) formula for cross sectional studies was used. The formula is presented as follows:-

Target Population and Sample Size

The target population was the public agricultural sector extension service officers working in Rivers State. They include ESOs’ employed in the agriculture sector in the State. The State had an establishment of 210 ESOs’ who formed the target population or accessible population, distributed throughout the 9 districts. Out of the 210 ESOs’ 83 of them were randomly selected as respondents for the study as per formula stated in the sampling framework section.

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

INTRODUCTION

This final chapter summarizes the findings of the results presented in chapter four. It also gives recommendations on policy, planning, and other relevant issues on access to and use of agricultural information. The final part of this chapter presents some suggestions on areas that need further research and study.

Summary of Findings

The study focused on access to and use of Agricultural Information by ESOs’; the case of Rivers State, Nigeria. The study utilized primary data that was collected from extension service officers’ through a questionnaire. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics. The results showed that over 75% of the ESOs’ were seasoned or experienced in accessing and use of Agricultural Information for routine extension service delivery. Over 81% of the ESOs’ had an educational level of a degree and above. The ESOs’ are prriversminantly males at 67% and females at 33%.

The low cadre ESOs are remunerated less than the middle and high cadre officers. This results to the low cadre officers having minimal ability to acquire personal equipments (as for ICT) and personal finances for access to and use of agricultural information (as for internet and mobile) as opposed to the high cadres. For middle and high cadre officers the limitation to effective access to and use of Agricultural Information could be, attitude or non willingness; non-exposure and conservatism rather than changing to advancing digitalization of the extension communication methods by their organization. There is need for more sustainable ways and means of enabling ESOs with unlimited access to and use of advancing agricultural information especially the low cadre officers in the field in order to complemen the basic trainings and avail advances in Agricultural Information.

The fact that the respondents prefer analogue or traditional sources of Agricultural Information rather than digital or ICT sources; suggests that the ESOs in the State have not been exposed nor fully realized the benefits of digital sources adequately. This scenario implies that though digital methods of access to and use (dissemination) of agricultural information are more feasible they need to compliment traditional or analogue methods as group approaches in public extension service delivery as there uptake takes root through the e-extension launched by the government in 2022.

Conclusions

Hardship areas like Rivers State tend to have a skewed ESOs’ gender deployment as evidenced by the 2:1 male: female ratio. However, both genders face similar circumstances and challenges in the work front in regard to access to and use of agricultural information.

From the findings, 74.3% (52) of the extension service officers are over 40years old and are used to traditional or analogue rather than digital (ICT) methods of access to and use of Agricultural Information; retraining programmes on digital methods are a priority for the ESOs. The human resource administrators need to consider increasing the number of “successors” or youthful ESOs who are competent in digital methods of information communication. All age bands require suitable working equipments, space, security, facilitation, motivation, attitude change, electricity connectivity and continuous supply, internet connectivity and good infrastructure among other needs for effective agricultural information processes accomplishment.

Though the respondents were drawn from the larger agriculture sector service providers working in the study area; the findings established that all of them had gone through basic extension training up to different levels. These imply that they posses varying abilities and competences in terms of knowledge and personal finances due to differential remuneration as it is pegged on education levels. These differences suggest that lower cadre ESOs

(Certificate and diploma holders) might be disadvantaged in terms of having been imparted with less complex or advanced agricultural information as opposed to middle and higher qualified cadres (graduates and Post graduates respectively) hence there deployment at the frontline or “extension unit” level where more of skilled and practical extension work is required and where there exist less or no facilities for digital connectivity and infrastructure as electricity connectivity.

Recommendations

The study was focused on access to and use of Agricultural Information by ESOs’ in Rivers State. I recommend the following:

The ministry of Agriculture should build up the skills base and provide incentives for greater cooperation and sharing of agricultural information among agricultural sector organizations and individual extension service officers. This approach would lead to the application of agricultural information to solve real client problems and food
The ministry of Agriculture should develop more sustainable ways and means of enabling ESOs with unlimited access to and use of advancing agricultural This should be done alongside, motivating all ESOs to be early adopters of innovations in agricultural information communication methods.
Promotion of collaboration on development of methodologies and indicators for measuring the outcomes of enhancing access to and use of agricultural information by ”
The ministry of Agriculture should promote regular studies; workshops; in-service or on the job training on agricultural information needs for extension service officers, map ESOs’ knowledge and information sources, create awareness of information sources and knowledge culture, use participatory methods in design and development of technologies and facilitate ESOs’ use of multiple or hybrid sources and sharing methods of agricultural information to deliver relevant information to farmers.

The way forward is to seek funding for further research to establish trends of agricultural productivity by farmers’ as a result of enhanced access to and use of agricultural information by cocoyam famers’.

REFERENCES

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