Assessment of Farmers Preference for Agricultural Extension Service Delivery in Bichi Local Government Area, Kano

Abstract

This study assessed farmer preference for agricultural extension services delivery in Bichi local government area of Kano State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was employed in the selection farmers. The first stage involved purposive selection of three (3) ward due to concentration of farmers working in group. The second stage involved simple random selection of 83 farmers, while snowball method was used and identified sixteen (16) extension agents working in the area. The primary data was obtained using structured questionnaires. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential (binary logic regression model) statistics. The result reveals the approaches used by extension agents in their services delivery to be farmer group interaction (87.5%) as well as training and visit (87.5%) approach. The services offered to farmers were proper and recommended methods of fertilizer application (93.8%), use of improved seed (93.8%), linking farmers with agro input dealers (93.8%), pre-season training (93.8%) conduct of demonstration plots (93.8%) and dissemination of innovation that come along the way (100%). The findings also show that educational status of the respondents has significant influence on access (-0.715) and use (-0.764) of the extension services provided at one percent probability level respectively while (42.2%) of farmers showed preference to advice rendered on proper and recommended methods of fertilizer application. It is therefore concluded that farmer’s group training and training and visit were the most approaches used by extension agents in their services delivery with services delivered as effective to some while ineffective to others with most preference to different methods of fertilizer application. It is therefore recommended that extension service should be rendered as at when due putting in to consideration the need of the farmers.