Farmers’ Perception of Effectiveness of Agricultural Extension Agents in Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study assessed farmers' perception of effectiveness of agricultural extension agents in Anambra State, Nigeria. The population of the study comprised all contact farmers and extension agents in Anambra State. Multi-stage, purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to select 200 respondents comprising 160 farmers and 40 extension agents. Data for the study were collected through the use of interview schedule and questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as frequency count, percentage and mean score were used in presenting and analyzing the data. The findings revealed that majority of the farmers were women, literate and the mean age was 54.27 years with an average farming experience of 18.98 years. Farmers' number of contact with extension agents and level of education were found to make significant contribution to farmers' perception of agricultural extension agents' quality. The level of adoption of new technologies by farmer was generally high (5.58). Agricultural extension service in Anambra State was not effective, which implies that extension service in the State was poor and weak. The identified constraints that hinder the performance of agricultural extension agents included inadequate vehicles for transportation, poor office accommodation, poor remuneration, poor funding, high level of farmers' illiteracy, and insufficient motivation of extension agents among others. The need for regular training of extension agents so as to develop more skills and technicalities in disseminating farm technologies to farmers was recommended.