Rice Post-harvest Value Addition Agricultural Extension Training Model for Smallholder Farmers and Extension Agents in the Southern Region of Sierra Leone

Abstract

A study was conducted to develop an agricultural training model for smallholder farmers and extension agents (farming actors) in rice post-harvest value addition in the Southern region of Sierra Leone. The study sought to identify the training needs and competencies of the farming actors in rice post-harvest value addition with a vision to identify their required training contents. Three ethical issues that guided the conduct of the study include informed consent, anonymity, and confidentiality since the study dealt with human participants. A multi-stage random sampling technique was employed to select 400 smallholder farmers from 157,114 households by the use of Yamane's formula. A census of 50 extension agents operating in the region was also done. The training model development was aided by undertaking a training needs assessment. The model is largely a synthesis of the study objectives of the rice post-harvest value addition study. The assessment revealed that farming actors have limited resources, low-value addition competencies, imperfect market situation, inadequate extension services, low profit margin, low livelihood, peasant farming, and low motivation for extension agents. The study further reveals low competency levels for the farming actors. The key expressed training needs of the farming actors include milling, packaging and marketing, and storage of rice whilst the majority preferred group training methods in rice post-harvest value addition. For effective training, the study further shows that training support such as subject matter specialists, input suppliers, service providers, and infrastructure, among others, are to be provided. The study also provided a dynamic extension model as an alternative option to the generic type since farming situations are constantly changing. This dynamic model ensures that as the context issues change, there is a need for the farming actors to respond to those changes. It is therefore recommended that regular needs assessment, provision of support services, and monitoring of training actors must be done for full utilisation of the proposed model.