Abstract
A cross-sectional study was undertaken to examine the aquaculture extension service in Kenya. Primary data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire administered to 292 randomly selected fish farmers and 56 extension officers in different counties in Kenya. Descriptive statistics mainly mean and frequencies were computed to determine key characteristics of farmers and extension officers. Inferential statistics were done using the Chi-Square test of goodness of fit at a significant level of P ≤ 0.05. Analyses were done using (Stata 13) and (SPSS version 23). The results demonstrated that youth fish farmers' contribution to the aquaculture sector is relatively low (26%) and extension service is perceived as helpful to fish farmers, though practices and outcomes vary among farmers. The education level of the farmers indicated that farmer literacy level is high and can positively affect adoption of new technologies. The results further showed that the training and visit extension model continues to dominate the sector. In addition, extension officers ranked poorly the possession of appropriate extension and training materials. It can be concluded that the challenges that extension officers face are not new. Thus, changes in government led aquaculture extension service will be ineffective unless they are attached to substantial changes in financing and relevant capacity building initiatives. Key words: Advisory, productivity, training, financing.
Highlights
A consensus exists that extension services will improve farmers' agricultural productivity and livelihoods if adequately designed and implemented (Ragasa et al, 2016)
Agricultural advisory services are perceived by many actors involved in rural development as essential elements in improving farm performance and strengthening ties between farmers, research, agricultural education, and other actors of the society
Extension and advisory services broadly include: (i) the actors involved in the advisory activity and the relationships they maintain with each other and with other external actors and (ii) the methods that are used by advisory service actors to create knowledge and know-how in individual and/or collective learning processes (Hilkens et al, 2018)
Summary
A consensus exists that extension services will improve farmers' agricultural productivity and livelihoods if adequately designed and implemented (Ragasa et al, 2016). It is widely recognized that a well-functioning extension system is crucial for disseminating information and promoting adoption of new farming technologies among farmers who otherwise may lack the knowledge of, and avenues to obtain, new technologies on their own (Suvedi et al, 2017). Skilled extension personnel are involved in developing effective extension programs that identify critical problems and design appropriate combinations of solutions. These provide the necessary information, including results of on-farm trials that demonstrate feasibility, and are essential for the timely transfer of technologies to farmers (Engle, 2017)
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