Constraints To Farmers Effective Participation In Agricultural Extension Programmes Of Non-Profit Non-Governmental Organizations In South –Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Part of the activities of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in South-eastern Nigeria is the provision of agricultural extension services to farmers. This study, therefore, examined the constraints to farmers' effective participation in the agricultural extension programmes of four non-profit NGOs in three states of South-Eastern Nigeria. A total of sixty-four (64) participating farmers in the extension programmes of the NGOs were interviewed using structured interview schedule. Mean scores, Factor Analysis and ANOVA were employed for data Analysis. Results showed that unfavourable financial terms, poor extension agents' outputs, poor farmers' educational trainings, poor farmer-agent contacts and complexity of recommended technologies were the major impediments to farmers' effective participation in the extension programmes of the NGOs. ANOVA result showed that there was no significant difference in the factors affecting farmers' participation in the extension programmes of the respective non-profit NGOs in the study areas (P> 0.05). Global Approaches to Extension Practice Vol.1(1) 2005: 74-82