Government Extension Services Research Articles

Cocoa vs. food crops: smallholder’s seasonal food access and extension support for climate adaptation in Ghana

ABSTRACT The food security implications of the production of cocoa compared to food crops and the phenomenon of the lean season amongst smallholder farmers have been well-researched. Yet, the literature has yet to consider how climate variability affects these dynamics. This study addresses this gap by comparing the contributions of cocoa and food crops to food stability and access during extreme and erratic weather events. It then compares government extension support for households’ climate adaptation of these crops. Our data draw on the case of smallholder cocoa farmers in Ghana’s Central Region and comprise a survey of 250 households, 16 focus group discussions, and 81 semi-structured interviews with smallholders, market sellers, and government officials. We find that food crops are essential for households’ food access during the cocoa lean season and when cocoa yields are reduced by climate change-related extreme or erratic weather events. However, food crop yields are themselves negatively affected by climate variability impacts. Furthermore, many farmers lack climate adaptation strategies or support for food crops as government extension services focus instead on export-driven cocoa. We argue that to promote households’ food stability, more smallholder extension support for food crop production and climate adaptation is urgently needed.

Adoption of Precision Agriculture Technologies among Farmers: A Comprehensive Review

Precision agriculture (PA) technologies have spearheaded a revolution in contemporary farming practices, ushering in an era of sustainability, efficiency, and data-driven agricultural production. This comprehensive examination aims to delve deeply into the intricate dynamics surrounding the adoption of precision agriculture technologies among farmers, synthesizing existing literature, identifying key determinants, barriers, and implications. The adoption of precision agriculture technologies is influenced by a myriad of factors spanning socio-economic, institutional, technological, psychological, and attitudinal dimensions. Socio-economic factors such as farm size, income level, access to credit, and demographic characteristics are pivotal in shaping farmers' decisions to adopt PA technologies. Institutional factors, including government policies, extension services, market structures, and support networks, also wield significant influence over adoption patterns. Technological considerations, such as the complexity, compatibility, and perceived benefits of precision agriculture technologies, impact farmers' adoption decisions. Moreover, psychological factors such as risk perception, innovativeness, and attitudes towards change contribute to shaping farmers' willingness to embrace new technologies. The adoption of precision agriculture technologies holds immense promise for enhancing farm productivity, sustainability, and profitability. By enabling precise management of inputs such as water, fertilizers, pesticides, and seeds, PA technologies help optimize resource use, minimize environmental impact, and maximize yield potential. Furthermore, the integration of advanced data analytics, remote sensing, and IoT (Internet of Things) devices facilitates real-time monitoring, decision-making, and predictive analytics, empowering farmers with actionable insights for improved farm management. However, despite the compelling benefits, the adoption of precision agriculture technologies faces several barriers and challenges. High initial investment costs, limited access to capital, inadequate infrastructure, and technical knowledge gaps pose significant hurdles for farmers, particularly those operating in resource-constrained settings. Concerns regarding data privacy, security, and ownership also contribute to farmers' apprehensions about adopting PA technologies, raising questions about data governance and regulatory frameworks. To overcome these barriers and promote the widespread adoption of precision agriculture technologies, concerted efforts are needed from various stakeholders. Farmer education and training programs play a crucial role in enhancing digital literacy, technical skills, and awareness about the potential benefits of PA technologies. Government policies and incentives, including subsidies, grants, and tax incentives, can help alleviate financial barriers and incentivize adoption. Moreover, collaboration between researchers, industry stakeholders, and policymakers is essential to drive technological innovation, develop user-friendly solutions, and address emerging challenges. Investments in infrastructure, such as rural broadband connectivity and sensor networks, are also imperative to ensure the seamless integration and scalability of precision agriculture technologies across diverse farming landscapes.

Perception and Adoption of Government Agricultural Technologies among Smallholder Farmers in Western Uganda

Agriculture production and productivity remain key to feeding the growing population with agriculture extension being at the centre of the performance of the agricultural sector in Uganda. Research shows that improved technologies promoted through extension service provision could have an even greater impact on food production and on farmers’ livelihoods in developing countries like Uganda. This study was conducted to investigate the perception and adoption of improved agriculture technologies under the government extension system among smallholder farmers in Kagadi District, mid-western Uganda. Data was collected using a questionnaire from 149 randomly selected households in three sub-counties. Results generated using Excel and SPSS revealed a high positive perception index of +0.63 for government extension services. The level of adoption of improved technology based on generalised partial adoption was 54.3% with farm size and training attendance being the significant factors affecting adoption of improved agricultural technologies in the study area. It is clear from the results that notable differences exist in terms of the perceptions of government extension services and the adoption of improved agricultural technologies. The general observation of farmers’ perception is that government extension service is helpful to farmers and is the major source of agricultural information in the area. Efforts should be made to support access to arable land and intensification of agricultural training sessions coupled with appropriate mobilisation of farmers to attend such training. Further studies should be done to understand these aspects on a wider scope in the country since this study was only conducted in one district. There is also needed to study the factors individually as well as the relationships with other factors to determine the adoption processes of technological advancement

Achievement of livelihood aspirations of women farmers through participation in government extension services

Participation in government extension programs can help women farmers to achieve their livelihood aspirations. The study aimed to determine the achievement of women farmers' livelihood aspirations, find its relationships with their selected characteristics, and identify the problems they faced in achieving livelihood aspirations and their potential solutions. Data were collected from 115 randomly selected respondents out of the population of 1148 from Phulbari Upazila of Dinajpur district using a pre-tested interview schedule from 15 February to 25 March 2019. A four-point rating scale measured the achievement of livelihood aspirations of the women farmers along with 30 activities covering five dimensions. The mean achievement of livelihood aspirations score was 43.74, with a standard deviation of 10.76. The achievement of livelihood aspirations was maximum for household food security and minimum for access to market opportunity. The majority of the women farmers (80.9%) belong to the medium status of livelihood aspirations, while only 10.4 % and 8.7% achieved low and high livelihood aspirations, respectively. Six out of eleven selected characteristics of the women farmers, such as educational qualification, farm size, organizational participation, use of information sources, agricultural knowledge, and attitude towards agricultural activities, showed significant positive relationships with their achievement of livelihood aspirations. The most reported problem faced by women farmers in achieving livelihood aspirations through agricultural activities is the “lack of quality seeds and seedlings”. Similarly, their top-ranked suggestion was to assure the quality and availability of seeds and seedlings as and when required at a reasonable price from government organizations. The agricultural extension programs should be designed with a gender-inclusive approach and take into account the specific needs and problems faced by women farmers to achieve their livelihood aspirations. South Asian J. Agric., Vol. 9, No.1&2, 2022-‘23: 39-51

Knowledge and practices of commercial banana farmers related to pesticide use in Chitwan district, Nepal; a cross-sectional study and meta-analyses.

The exposure of farmers to pesticides due to inadequate safety measures is a concern in low-income countries in Africa and Asia. However, until now, there have been limited studies on the farmers' risk due to pesticide application to fruit crops. The knowledge of farmers' exposure related to pesticide use and their safety practices was studied among 100 banana farmers in three areas (Padampur, Jagatpur, and Thimura) of Chitwan district, Nepal. More than 75% of the farmers complained about problems related to insects. Most frequently used insecticides in the area were chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin. Ten percent (10%) of the applied pesticides were highly hazardous to humans, according to the World Health Organization hazard category, with skin rash being the most common acute symptom reported by 29% of the farmers. Banned organochlorine and organophosphate insecticides, such as endosulfan and triazophos, respectively, are still being used by farmers in the aforementioned areas. Spearman's correlation analysis revealed the lack of knowledge and safety practices among farmers leading to inadequate awareness related to the negative effects of pesticide use on human health and the environment. Therefore, government extension service can play a crucial role in improving banana farmers' knowledge of the toxic effects of pesticides as well as enforcing the Nepali language in the labeling of pesticide containers and packages.

Review of the Current State and Potential Benefits of Using Herbicides by Smallholder Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa

Poor weed control automatically results in yield losses, and the review has provided a range of 30-100% depending on the crop, weed species, and stage of the crop. The timing and efficacy of the methods matter. Across the region, farmers use different methods broadly grouped into preventive, cultural, and curative methods. Herbicide application, a form of curative method, is seen as an effective means of weed control, which is cheap, time, and labor-saving technology for adoption. Also, the technology helps in soil carbon sequestration. Hence, it could be used to improve crop productivity and profitability of already of the farming systems in the region. The current adoption of herbicides is very low across SSA, ranging from 0.1-55%. The low adoptions in SSA could be associated with low education levels, poor knowledge, and experience with technology, cultural beliefs, high poverty levels, small farm size, and weak government and intercountry policies and extension services.

Analysis of Profit Efficiency of Grape Production: A Case of Smallholder Grape Farmers in Dodoma, Tanzania

The aim of this study was to assess the contribution of production and profit efficiency of grapes production from farmers in Dodoma region. However, the study was specifically conducted in Dodoma region at Dodoma municipal council, grape farmers were the focal point of the study. The research used two approaches, quantitative approach and qualitative approach. Through purposive and simple random sampling, four (4) respondents from four villages (one officer in each village) who were government extension service officers were interviewed. Moreover, in this study, a sample of 118 respondents from grape farmers were provided with questionnaire. Data were collected through interviews and questionnaires and the results were analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) program version 20. The results show that grape production contributes a lot to the economics of the household since it increases the income of the household up to a profit of Tsh 667,419 per acre. Therefore, we recommend some strategies which should be used to boost grape production in the country. The strategies include the formation of groups or cooperative agriculture; agricultural experts (such as agricultural extension officers) should establish close relationship with farmers to understand farmers’ challenges fully and involve them in obtaining solutions. Finally, simple storage facilities should be provided through collaboration with different partners like individuals, private sectors and government.

Soil Erosion in Northern Nigeria: Potential Impact and Possible Solution: A Review

Aim: This research aims to discuss the environmental soil erosion problem in northern Nigeria: their potential impact and possible solution for sustainable agriculture and livelihood management
 Methods: This research was carried out by reviewing the literature. The data were derived from; books, journals, internet and conference reports, and Google Scholar, and some university library catalog was used to search the literature. The search terms used are soil erosion, climate change, land degradation, Sahel, drylands, soil conservation, agroforestry, and sustainable land management.
 Results: This paper reviewed environmental problems such as soil erosion which are generally considered as the most serious consequences and their impact will remain the main issues for the 21st century. Soil loss will however be prevented or decreased by appropriate crop management such as cover cropping, multiple cropping, and high-density planting. Cover crops have certainly influenced the properties of physical soil which include infiltration rate, moisture content, bulk density, increase organic matter content, the levels of Nitrogen (N) by use of Nitrate (N2) fixing legumes, exchange of cation capacity and crop yields.
 Conclusion: The use of cover crops, multiple cropping, agroforestry, and conservation tillage are provided as some of the effective means of controlling soil erosion in the northern part of Nigeria. Therefore, the recommendation here is that the government extension services should incorporate farmers in the affected areas.

Climate Change Knowledge and Perception among Farming Households in Nigeria

Nigeria is committed to achieving a 20% unconditional and 45% conditional reduction of GHG emissions by 2030 through a strong focus on awareness of and preparedness for climate change impacts via the mobilization of local communities for climate change mitigation actions. As land cover changes and forestry contribute 38% and agriculture contributes 13% of the country’s GHGs, farmers are among the stakeholders to be aware of and prepare for climate change mitigations and adaptations. This study assessed the knowledge of agriculturally related practices associated with climate change and its relation to climate change perception. One thousand and eighty (1080) smallholder farmers were interviewed across six agroecological zones (AEZs) of Nigeria using a structured questionnaire. The results revealed that most farmers know that deforestation and land clearance by bush burning contributes to climate change. However, many farmers did not know that methane emissions from livestock (enteric fermentation) can cause climate change. Our results further show that the farmers’ perception of climate change is associated with climate change knowledge. Factors affecting the climate change knowledge of farmers include information received from government extension services, environmental NGOs, and radio, as well as experiencing extreme weather events. Farmers of dry AEZs were more aware and knowledgeable of the agricultural practices contributing to the changing environment. Increased exposure to climate change events thus appears to elevate the knowledge on the topic. Using government services, environmental NGOs, and radio to disseminate climate change information will help further in guiding and shaping farmers’ perceptions towards scientific findings for appropriate actions.

Influence of Innovation Platform-based Learning on Farm- level Milk Losses among Smallholder Dairy Farmers in Mogotio Sub-county in Baringo County, Kenya

Smallholder dairy farmers make up to 80% of total dairy producers and produce 56% of total milk in Kenya. Income from milk is the main source of their annual recurrent revenue. The critical point in the milk supply chain where improvements can contribute to increased income is through the reduction of farm-level milk losses. An innovation platform-based capacity building programme is a programme that brings together all relevant actors to assist in addressing the gaps left by the conventional government extension services when minimising farm level milk loss among smallholder dairy farmers in Mogotio sub-county. This study used a tailor-made capacity building model at Mogotio innovation platform on proper milking techniques that would make milk production economical. The study assessed the current milking practices of suckling, non-weaning and overall milk production during the lactation time through interactive learning sessions in the platform. The study was conducted in Mogotio Ward of Mogotio sub-county in Baringo County, Kenya. The target population consisted of 840 accessible smallholder dairy farmers and a purposive sample of 120 dairy farmers were involved in the baseline survey. A group of 30 farmers was selected to participate in focus group discussions. Farmers were selected for the end of project survey to determine the influence of the innovation-based capacity building programme. The interactive learning in the study assisted in broadening the knowledge base of farmers leading to improved milking techniques, high yields, more income, improved food security and hence improved livelihoods. The results from this study helped in enhancing capacity of smallholder dairy farmers and may inform policy in the dairy sector.

Mitigating the impact of the invasive fall armyworm: evidence from South Asian farmers and policy recommendations

Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is an invasive pest in South Asia. The current paper documents farmers’ perceptions of fall armyworm in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal and explores the current management practices adopted by farmers. A structured survey was conducted with 526 farmers regarding current cropping practices, identification of fall armyworm and its damage, management, capacity-building activities, and support from government and non-government extension services. The results suggested that most of the farmers reported very high to moderate damage from fall armyworm, and that the damage and spread increased over time. Although farmers used a range of management practices to control fall armyworm, chemical pesticides were still the dominant tool. Farmers learnt about the pest and its identification from their fellow farmers and individual experiences, while services from government and non-government offices were limited. Therefore, there is a need for an innovative extension approach, including the promotion of digital technologies. Similarly, the evaluation and promotion of new technologies as part of integrated pest management strategies (IPM) must be deployed to manage fall armyworm.

Responding to harvest failure: Understanding farmers coping strategies in the semi-arid Northern Ghana.

Farmers coping strategies against harvest failures have implication for future adaptation to such shocks. Previous studies on farmers' vulnerability and response to shocks have emphasized on adaptation, at the expense of their coping to such shocks. Using a survey data from 299 farm households in northern Ghana, this study has analyzed farmers' coping strategies against harvest failure, and the drivers of the choice and intensity of the coping strategies. The empirical results show that most of the households used liquidation of productive assets, reduction in consumption, borrowing from family and friends, diversification of livelihoods, and migration to cities for off-farm jobs as coping measures in response to harvest failure. The empirical results from a multivariate probit model indicate that the choice of coping strategies is influenced by farmers' access to radio, net value of livestock produced per man-equivalent (ME), experience of yield loss in the previous year, farmers' perception about the fertility status of their crop fields, access to credit, distance to market, farm-to-farmer extension, location of the respondent, cropland per ME, and access to off-farm income. Empirical results from a zero-truncated negative binomial regression model also indicate that the number of coping strategies adopted increases with the value of farm implements, access to radio, farmer-to-farmer extension and being located in the regional capital. It however decreases with the age of the household head, number of family members abroad, a positive perception about the fertility status of crop fields, access to government extension services, distance to market, and access to off-farm income. Limited access to credit, radio, and markets renders farmers more vulnerable and pushes them to adopt more costly coping strategies. In addition, an increase in income earned from secondary livestock products decreases incentive for farmers to adopt liquidation of productive assets as coping strategy after a harvest failure. Policy makers and stakeholders could make smallholder farmers less vulnerable to harvest failure by enhancing their access to radio, credit, off-farm income and market, promotion of farmer-to-farmer extension, implementing measure to improve the fertility of crop fields in the study area, and enhancing farmers' engagement in the production and selling of secondary livestock products.

Exploring Small-Scale Broiler Farming Practices and Vaccine Adherence: A Study in Aguata, Nigeria

The study ascertained the production practices of small-scale broiler farmers in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure was adopted for the random selection of 80 farmers using a structured interview schedule. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The result reveals that 87.5% of the farmers adopted a deep litter housing system, and 98.75% ensured their poultry houses were sited in well-drained soil and properly ventilated pens. About 93% and 98% of the farmers had brooding and finishing houses separately on their farms and ensured adequate lighting and heat in their brooding houses, respectively. The result shows that 100% and 93.75% of the respondents administered antibiotics and multivitamins at the early stage of day-old chicks and adhered to the Gumboro and Lasota vaccine schedules, respectively, while only 1.25% of the farmers provided a footbath at the entry of their poultry house. All the farmers used broiler starters and finishers in feeding their birds, and the mean weekly duration of broiler starter and finisher feeding was 4.09 and 4.28 weeks, respectively, while 98.75% ensured to always provide water for their birds. The study concluded that the use of recommended production practices was high to some extent among farmers. Hence, the level of information on broiler production practices should be increased by the government extension service unit to enable farmers to keep abreast of current and necessary information on broiler production. Doi: 10.28991/SciMedJ-2023-05-01-03 Full Text: PDF

Determinants of farmer empowerment in agriculture in Kenya: A Tobit approach

Empowerment in agriculture plays an important role in improving food and nutrition security. Understanding the determinants of farmer empowerment in agriculture is vital in improving the targeting of key indicators that matter for policy and practice. Most of the existing studies focus on female empowerment, leaving out the equally important aspect of male empowerment. We compute empowerment in agriculture index for male and female farmers and assess its determinants by applying the Tobit and Logit models on cross-sectional data of 835 farmers in Kenya. We find that only 11% of the farmers were empowered, 5% of whom were female. Econometric results show that gender had a positive and significant association with empowerment in agriculture and male and female farmers benefited to varying extents even from the same determinants. Thus, empowerment initiatives should compensate for such differences by targeting male and female farmers. Moreover, commercialization, access to government extension services and value of assets were positively and significantly associated with empowerment in agriculture indicating extra pathways through which empowerment in agriculture could be enhanced.

The role of private agronomists towards the sustainability of commercial crop farmers in the eastern highveld of Mpumalanga, South Africa

The face of extension and advisory services for agriculture in South Africa has changed significantly in recent years. The focus of government extension services has shifted to emerging farmers, impacting the quality of extension available to commercial farmers. This paper explores the effect of this shift on the sustainability of commercial crop farming in the Eastern Highveld. Three areas of advice and the impact on sustainability were researched, namely soil management, plant nutrition, and crop protection. Crop farmers regard all three as crucial for sustainability and prefer advisors to be knowledgeable in the following order of preference: plant nutrition, soil management, and crop protection. Most farmers are aware of their advisors’ qualifications and accreditations and discount advice by non-accredited and inexperienced advisors. Sustainable advice followed by responsible application is more effective in crop protection than soil management and plant nutrition. Over the past decade, the contribution of qualified advisors through improved decision-making increased yields by upwards of 40%. To maintain a high level of scientific and ethical advice, supply companies should employ qualified agronomists and promote the importance of qualified advice among stakeholders. Advisors should promote an ethical and professional relationship and regularly offer mentorship to qualified but inexperienced advisors.

Open Science for Non-Specialists: Making Open Science Meaningful Beyond the Scientific Community

AbstractA major goal of the open science movement is to make more scientific information available to non-specialists, but it has been difficult to meaningfully achieve that goal. In response, this paper argues for two steps: (1) focusing on the scientific content that is most relevant to non-specialist audiences; and (2) packaging that content in meaningful ways for those audiences. The paper uses a case study involving a major environmental health issue (namely, PFAS pollution) to illustrate how the proponents of open science can work with groups like government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and extension services to implement these two steps.

Small Farm Resource Centers as Informal Extension Hubs in Underserved Areas: Case Studies from Southeast Asia

A Small Farm Resource Center (SFRC) is an informal in-situ extension model used for testing promising agricultural and rural livelihoods options on a physical central site, with some measure of extension methodology. There is a need to evaluate SFRCs as research-extension models operating outside of formal government extension and advisory services. Seven SFRCs located in Southeast Asia were studied to classify extension methodologies adopted by those centers, evaluate extension efficacy, and to provide recommendations for amplifying their services. On average in 2013, SFRCs were 21.1 years old, covered 24.2 ha, cost 242,000 USD to establish and had a yearly operating cost of 28,500 USD. The work of the seven SFRCs could be classified into five predominant extension methodologies: on-site and off-site demonstrations, on-site and off-site trainings, and off-site extension outreach. Most of the SFRCs utilized combinations of these and tailored their methods to the particular context. Besides agricultural production, SFRCs also offered socio-cultural and socio-economic assistance, owing to a cycle of extension knowledge refinement. SFRCS were re-engaged in 2021 and all 7 were still operational, and the majority provided the same number or more services (57%) as in 2013, utilized the same amount of space (71%), and were perceived to have the same or more efficacy (71%) even in the face of decreasing or stagnating funding (71%) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, SFRCs continue to be used successfully throughout Southeast Asia and provide cost-effective and needs-based extension and advisory services to underserved populations outside of formal extension services.

Role of institutional factors in climate‐smart technology adoption in agriculture: Evidence from an Eastern Indian state

Climate change threatens rural livelihoods by adversely affecting agricultural production through reduced crop yields, harvest loss, and increased cost of production. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices have emerged as a possible solution to ensure food security by adapting to climate risks on the one hand, and mitigating GHG emissions from agriculture, on the other hand. However, resource-poor farmers often face both financial and knowledge constraints to adopt CSA practices, and thus, institutional support plays a crucial role in overcoming those barriers. Therefore, this study uses primary data collected from 248 farm households in the Eastern Indian state of Odisha to examine the role of institutional factors in CSA adoption. Almost 95% of the sample farmers experienced the effects of climate change, and many have adopted CSA practices such as rescheduling planting (78%), crop rotation (56%), crop diversification (35%), micro-irrigation (17%), and drought-resistant seeds (16%). Probit models are estimated to explore the key determinants of the adoption of these five major practices. Results show that factors such as government extension service, farmer field school participation, subsidies, access to energy, and perception of climate shocks are the major determinants. Further, the coefficient of interaction between landholding and credit availability on the decision to adopt CSA is positive. Thus, agricultural policies to improve institutional support, such as subsidies on farm machinery, extension support, credit facility, and field demonstration of technologies, are crucial to upscale CSA adoption in the region.

Socio-Economic Determinants for Biochar Deployment in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania

Biochar may contribute to both agricultural productivity and atmospheric carbon dioxide removal. However, despite the many potential upsides of adding biochar to amend carbon-depleted soils in sub-Saharan Africa, deployment is largely lacking. This paper explores the socio-economic factors that can explain tendencies to avoid action. Based on a survey of 172 farming households, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions in the Mbeya and Songwe regions of Tanzania, which were targeted for a biochar aid program in 2014, several socio-economic drivers behind the continued use of biochar deployment were identified in this follow-up study. A key deployment driver was the increased crop yields, perceived to be the result of adding biochar to soils, increasing yields from 1 metric ton per hectare to 3 metric tons per hectare. Food security and family income were cited as the main reasons to engage in biochar production and use. Climate change mitigation and increased resilience were other key reasons that motivated adoption. In terms of socio-economic factors, farmers with low education and income, the majority being males aged 40–60 years, contributed to low adoption rates in the study area. Respondents often cited the alternative usage of biochar feedstocks, lack of government involvement or extension services, traditions, and farming customs as the main constraints limiting biochar deployment.

Assessment of Constraints and Opportunities of Tea Out-Growers in South West Ethiopia

This research attempted to generate useful information on tea out growers’ constraints and opportunities in tea production and marketing, which helps governmental institutions to assess their activities and redesign their operations. The research was done by interviewing tea out growers surrounding the two major tea plantations Wush Wush and Gumero in south west Ethiopia. Data was collected from 120 randomly selected households. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Relative Severity Index to analyze constraints. The obtained result showed that, out-growers on average allocated 1.37 ha land to produce tea. They plucked on average 295 kg/ha export standard or 731 kg/ha local standard green tea leaves in one harvest in main season. Relative Severity index analysis revealed that out growers’ major constraints of tea production were high price and timely availability of inputs, shortage of inputs, high cost of production, need intensive plot management, lack of capital, no government intervention and extension service and lack of training. However, they have good opportunities in obtaining frequent income almost throughout the year, high cash income, low risk of animal damage and theft. Keywords : Tea out growers, Gumero, Wush Wush, Relative Severity Index, constraints DOI: 10.7176/DCS/11-6-02 Publication date: June 30 th 2021