EFFECTIVENESS OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICES IN PROMOTING AGRICULTURAL DIVERSIFICATION AND SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN ARDO-KOLA AND ZING LGAs, TARABA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This study assessed the effectiveness of agricultural extension services in promoting agricultural diversification and sustainable rural development among smallholder farmers in Ardo-Kola and Zing Local Government Areas of Taraba State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study described the socio-economic characteristics of farmers, examined farmers’ perceptions regarding the effectiveness of extension services in promoting agricultural diversification, assessed their contribution to sustainable rural development and identified constraints affecting access to extension services. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select respondents. Although 168 questionnaires were targeted, 161 properly completed questionnaires were retrieved and used for analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. A five-point Likert scale with a mean decision threshold of 3.0 was used to assess farmers’ perceptions. The findings showed that respondents were predominantly male (55%), with a mean age of 45 years, mean educational attainment of eight years, mean household size of seven persons, mean farming experience of 17 years and mean farm size of 2.96 hectares. Extension services were perceived as timely (mean = 4.025), relevant (mean = 4.081), accessible (mean = 3.988), useful for improving productivity through training (mean = 4.093), and effective in promoting agricultural diversification (mean = 3.988). Extension services were also perceived to contribute to food security (mean = 4.143), rural infrastructure (mean = 4.099), rural livelihoods (mean = 3.932) and community cooperation (mean = 3.919). Major constraints were poor access to extension agents, inadequate funding, lack of training programmes and distance to extension centres. The study concludes that extension services constitute an important institutional mechanism for supporting agricultural diversification and rural development, although institutional and operational constraints need to be addressed to improve their effectiveness.