Private Extension Services Research Articles

Arable Crop Farmers’ Use of Private Extension Services in Ondo State, Nigeria

Arable Crop Farmers’ Use of Private Extension Services in Ondo State, Nigeria

Determinants of maize farmers willingness to pay for private extension services in Ejisu municipality, Ghana

In recent times, private sector involvement in extension services delivery in Ghana has increased. We assessed farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) for private extension services. We used quantitative techniques and selected 385 farmers through multistage sampling technique. Farmers’ had a good perception of private extension services because of its flexibility, availability, value for money, and acceptable rates. Income, secondary occupation, marital status, extension contact, amount of maize sold every season, and land tenure system have an effect on farmers' WTP and the amount to pay. Government policies should continue to encourage and support private sector participation in providing extension services.

Challenges and Opportunities in Private Extension Services for Shrimp Aquaculture in Andhra Pradesh, India

Challenges and Opportunities in Private Extension Services for Shrimp Aquaculture in Andhra Pradesh, India

Validation of the professional competencies model required by experts of agricultural consulting, technical, and engineering services companies to provide private extension services

Validation of the professional competencies model required by experts of agricultural consulting, technical, and engineering services companies to provide private extension services

Willingness to Pay for Private Extension Services among Yam Farmers in Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Willingness to Pay for Private Extension Services among Yam Farmers in Nasarawa State, Nigeria

‘Unlock the Complexity’: Understanding the Economic and Political Pathways Underlying the Transition to Climate-Smart Smallholder Forage-Livestock Systems: A Case Study in Rwanda

The livestock-dairy sector in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Rwanda, is experiencing rapid growth due to population expansion, urbanisation, and changing food preferences. The unmet local production demands are causing soil and water pollution, competition for biomass, land, and water, but also grassland degradation, biodiversity loss, and increased GHGs emissions. Rwanda has the lowest productivity in the region, largely due to inadequate and poor-quality livestock feed resources. To increase animal productivity, promoting forage species with higher nutritional value and better adaptation to drought-prone and poor-fertility soils could be beneficial. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study explores Brachiaria forage adoption and profitability and analyses policy objectives and measures to overcome adoption barriers and promote the transition from subsistence to market-oriented systems. Results show that Brachiaria, although advantageous from an economic point of view, is characterised by very low adoption rates. Furthermore, access to extension programmes is limited and often not supported by adequate incentives. To overcome such barriers, policy interventions should be harmonised and information and knowledge management prioritised, public and private extension and advisory services (EASs) programmes coordinated, agricultural input subsidies increased, and institutional coordination promoted to enhance climate-smart animal feeding.

Cocoa farmers' perspective on the quality of public and private agricultural extension delivery in Southern Ghana

While the theme of extension service quality has been extensively explored, we set out distinctly to compare farmers' perceptions of quality of public and private extension services. We adopted a survey method and collected data from 385 farmers. The private extension service received superior ratings as compared to the public services. Using multivariate probit model, we found gender, farm size, education, and access to hired labour as factors that affect extension service quality. Key challenges are wide agent-to-farmer ratio and high cost of services. We encourage collaborative efforts between government and private extension organisations to elevate extension delivery to farmers.

Cocoa Farmers' Participation in Public and Private Agricultural Extension Delivery in Amenfi Central District, Ghana

Agricultural extension and knowledge management have become key blocks in driving sustainable food systems and rural development, especially in periods of dealing with the complexities surrounding climate change and sustainable food systems in localised systems. This study assessed cocoa farmers' participation in public and private agricultural extension services in Ghana. Using descriptive and inferential statistics and collecting data from 385 farmers, the study reveals that private extension services stand out in various indices: access to information (3.72), communication (3.96), and support and follow-up (3.45), while public extension services excel in social and environmental impact (3.54), and knowledge transfer (3.86). Intricate extension programme dynamics also reveal a clear preference for private extension in citizen power (23.6% vs. 7.3%), delegated power (33.2% vs. 8.6%), and partnership (39.2% vs. 13.5%). Using the binary probit regression model, this study examines how various socio-economic factors influence farmers' participation in extension programmes. Results indicate that key determinants for participation in public extension include gender, level of education, land size, availability of labour, and access to credit. Conversely, factors influencing participation in private extension programmes include membership in farmer groups, land ownership, land size, the availability of labour, and access to credit. Policymakers and extension workers can make extension services more useful and open to everyone by focusing on these socioeconomic factors and creating programmes that meet the unique needs and limitations of various farmer groups. This will ultimately lead to higher agricultural productivity, better livelihoods, and better rural development.

Determinants of Smallholder Rice Farmers’ Willingness-to-Pay for Private Extension Services in Liberia: The Case of Gibi District

Globally, many policymakers and extension professionals have advocated for the privatization of extension services in order to reduce the burden of funding faced by the state as well as to adequately respond to the low productivity problem of farmers as they endeavor to tackle productivity problems. This study assessed willingness-to-pay (WTP) for private extension services by farmers and identified the determinants of their WTP using Gibi District of Liberia as a case study. A multistage sampling technique was used in selecting 296 smallholder rice farmers in the district while the double-bounded dichotomous choice contingent valuation method was used to elicit maximum WTP value for farmers. Descriptive statistics were computed and the double-bounded logit model used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that 78.7% of the rice farmers were willing to pay for privatized extension services and on average, a farmer was willing to pay US$11.21 per farm visit, almost twice the average daily wage rate of a skilled worker in Liberia. The results from the model showed that WTP was significantly positively influenced by the household head’s age, years of schooling, household size, annual income, and distance to extension service provider. The study recommends that the Liberian government and its development partners should encourage the private sector to invest more in extension services to take advantage of the relatively high farmers’ WTP and effective demand. In addition, the government should design and implement programs that reduce transaction costs in addition to increasing farmers’ income in order to enhance their capacity to pay for privatized extension services.

Dealer-customer partnership in rice production demonstration: Assessment of private extension system in Bangladesh

Traditional public extension worker-farmer cooperation in rice production demonstration is not working efficiently, therefore, private partnership-based demonstration has been attempted to introduce as its alternative very recently involving dealer-customer farmer. The study evaluated the private extension services rendered through dealer-customer farmer cooperation in Bangladesh. Thirty-three rice seed dealers and ninety-two customer farmers formed the samples for the study. Face-to-face interviews were employed as a quantitative method while focus group discussion was used as a qualitative method in the present study. Involving in the private rice production demonstration approach, customer farmers indicated high profit, greater involvement in decision-making, and improved marketing skills as the major advantages; while the dealers stressed the benefit received by the small farmers, improvement in their decision-making capacity and increased local rice production. However, the slow distribution of inputs during the production period was a weakness in the arrangement, which was mostly because of the dealers' lack of understanding of the customer farmers’ needs. The private extension system being a new concept in the country may be observed over a period and gradually extended to the nooks and crannies of the country.

Multifunctional farm advisory services in promoting change in agricultural systems: The case of Campania region of Italy

<abstract> <p>Entrepreneurial contexts may be marked by the presence of a 'cultural environment' that stimulates knowledge and innovation adoption, while other contexts may act as barriers toward change and innovation. Moreover, multiple paths of multifunctional agriculture bring about a call for "multifunctional farm advisory services" (MFAS), which consider both private and public goods provided by the farming sector. Set against the background of multiple roles of agriculture, how to identify sound and pertinent knowledge becomes of paramount, to specify the roles of agricultural extensionists and the mechanisms of governance of MFAS within the setting up of the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS). Our aim of the study is either to analyze attitudes toward the privatization of extension services within a predominantly public system of regional governance and to identify advisors' profile and their suitability with the modern vision of multifunctional agriculture through the emergence of MFAS. Empirical analysis evidences the presence of a diversified set of advisory services with different degrees of coherence with the multifunctional agricultural model. Also, the more advisory services are oriented towards empowering multifunctional agriculture the less the propensity towards their privatization. The cluster analysis has demonstrated a relatively good advisor's capability to deal with the new demands of multifunctional agriculture. The idea of MFAS has important theoretical implications that the paper tries to excavate through the analysis of the mechanisms of governance (public/private) and the identification of the advisors' profile facing the growing complexity of the farming sector, grounded on multifunctional agriculture. The study tries to fill a gap in the literature, by providing an original contribution to modeling the profile of advisors in charge of supporting the transition towards multifunctionality.</p> </abstract>

Effectiveness of Public and Private Extension Services in Building Capacity of the Farmers: A Case of Bangladesh

Effectiveness of Public and Private Extension Services in Building Capacity of the Farmers: A Case of Bangladesh

ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF PRIVATE EXTENSION AMONG SMALL SCALE CASSAVA FARMERS IN EDO AND DELTA STATE, NIGERIA.

The study examined economic feasibility of private extension among small-scale cassava farmers in Edo and Delta States of Nigeria. Specifically, the study described the socio-economic characteristics of small-scale cassava farmers, examined farmer’s willingness to pay for extension services for cassava production, examine farmer’s perception on economic feasibility of private extension for cassava production and established the relationship between farmer’s socio-economic characteristics and the economic feasibility of private extension delivery for cassava production. Multi-stage sampling procedure, comprising of purposive and random sampling was used to select 391 respondents sampled with the use of structured questionnaires. Data collected were analyzed using frequency, mean, percentage and probit regression. The result showed that the respondents were young (mean age 38 years), educated (98.48%), cultivated a mean farm size of 2.04 hectares and earned a mean income of ₦151534.53 per annum. The major extension services the farmers were willing to pay for were bulletins and handbills (mean=4.83), market price information (mean=4.72), information on pest and disease control (mean= 4.72), input hiring services (mean= 4.69) and pay for advert for radio and television programmes (mean=4.56). It was equally revealed that 52.17% of the respondents (farmers) fell under the high feasibility status implying that about 52% of the respondents believed private extension services was highly feasible. Education (b=-0.263; p<0.05), farming experience b=0.044; p<0.005 and frequency of extension visit (b=0.494; p<0.05) were significant variables influencing the economic feasibility of private extension service delivery in cassava production among the respondents. It was concluded that private extension service for cassava is economically feasible in the study area from the farmer’s point of view. It was recommended that private extension service providers should reach out to small-scale cassava farmers in this study area with the view of enhancing their production performance without conflicting with the existing extension services of the government operated extension system of the Agricultural development Programme (ADP) in the study area.

Factors influencing sustainability of horticultural private extension services

The present study aimed at evaluating prominent factors that affect the sustainability of horticultural private extension services (SHPES) and the continuous flow of their activities from the perspective of public sector experts. The study sample consisted of 148 public sector experts who were selected through stratified random sampling. A questionnaire was utilized for data collection. Validity was confirmed by face validity, convergent validity, and content validity. The results showed that infrastructure, educational extension, and economic factors had the most positive and significant effects on the SHPES and the continuity of their activities. The result of the calculated goodness-of-fit index (0.718) revealed that the model provided an excellent fit for the data. Also, the structures and factors explained 78% of the variance of the SHPES. The present study showed how management, economic, socio-cultural, policy, infrastructure, and educational factors influence SHPES.

Roles of Cyber Extension in Fish Farming Information Dissemination in Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun State

The dissemination of information on improved fish farming techniques through the use of cyber extension is ineffective due to the inability of the farmer to comprehend information passed across to them which is reflected on the continuous reduction in fish farming, hence the reason why it seems like there is no positive effect of the information disseminated to fish farmers on their productivity. The study was carried out to examine the role of cyber extension in fish farming information dissemination in Egbedore local government area of Osun state. Multistage sampling was used in selecting eighty (80) respondents for this study. Data was collected with the aid of questionnaire randomly drawn from the local government area. Descriptive analysis performed shows that 18.7% of the respondents were between 50-59 years of age with the mean age of 36 years and 55% of the respondents were male. Most (80%) of the respondents were married. Also, 48.7% were Christian while 50% of the respondents spent 13years above in school. Similarly, 68.8% of the respondents have household size of 5 members, fish farming experience less than 5 years (37.5%). Members of social organization (56.3%), annual income between #300,000 to #499,000 (51.3%) contact with extension agents (46.2%) Similarly, 21.3% obtain their capital from cooperative society while 81.3% of the respondents preferred both family and hired labor as source of labor. Further descriptive analysis shows all sampled respondents (100%) have access to smart phones that 72.5% of the respondent’s always use smart phones, 27.5% of the respondents occasionally uses Smartphone in sourcing for fish farming information. Less than fifty percent (43.7%) have access to computer while 16.2% of the respondents uses computer always in sourcing for fish farming information and more than half of the respondents (68.8%) have access to laptop while 12.5% of the respondents use laptop always in sourcing for fish farming information and thirty¬-five percent of the respondents have access to tablet/ipad while 10% of the respondents use tablet/ipad always in sourcing for fish farming information. The types of fish farming information sourced via cyber extension includes pond construction, fish feed formulation, pest and disease control, poaching , quality fingerlings, marketing of fish and fish landing. A larger proportion of the respondents (85%) encountered some constraints in sourcing for fish farming information through the use of cyber extension, that 82.5% of the respondent indicated of erratic power supply as the constraint encountered in the study area while 81.3% of the respondents indicated poor network and 73.8% of the respondents indicated high cost of data. Similarly, 65% of the respondents’ encountered problem of poor service from the service providers while 75% of the respondents indicated technical know-how as the constraint encountered and 60% of the respondents encountered problem of financial capacity. Also, 50% of the constraints encountered by the respondents were very severe and 60% of the respondents indicated high severity of using cyber extension for fish farming information dissemination. The correlation analysis carried out shows that Age (r = 0.566), Household size (r = 0.598), Number of years spent schooling (r = 0.532), Pond size (r = 0.168), Annual income (r = 0.525) were significantly related to role of cyber extension in disseminating fish farming information. Also, Fish farming experience (r = -0.132) was significantly but negatively related to role of cyber extension in disseminating fish farming information. It was recommended that it is recommended that the respondents should consider the need to embrace or prioritize the services of private extension services.

Extent of delivery and utilization of farm advisory services of public and private extension service organizations in Meghalaya

The study was conducted during 2020–21 in Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya with two organizations functioning therein, viz. Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) as public extension organization and Rural Resource Training Centre (RRTC) as private extension organization. The present investigation was aimed to study the extent of delivery of services by these two farm advisory services i.e. KVK and RRTC, over a period of time and extent of utilisation of these by the farmers. The extension programs and activities of the two extension organisations in their adopted villages was documented using descriptive approach. The mean scores of extent of utilisation index of beneficiaries of RRTC were more than that of those of KVK. In KVK, Ri-Bhoi extent of utilization for exhibition is more withmean value of 69.6 and the least utilized farm advisory services was exposure visit with mean value of 1.82 whereas in RRTC, field day was the most utilized farm advisory services with mean value of 67 and New varieties/ inputs (in terms of improved crop seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, weedicides) were the least utilized farm advisory services with mean value of 7.9. The study revealed that both KVK and RRTC were found to be energetically working to cater the needs of farmers, youth and women for providing various kinds of farm advisory services. They appear to be at par as far as the extent of delivery of farm advisory services is concerned.

Private extension delivers productivity growth in pasture-based dairy farming in the Eastern Cape, 2012–2018

ABSTRACT This study presents a novel way to measure the contribution of private extension to farm productivity for club data. Club data refers to any convenience sample obtained from a study group, consulting firm, cooperative or producer organisation. The study develops a stochastic frontier production function model with the inefficiency effects of pasture-based dairy farming in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The analysis for 2012–2018 involves 49 adopter farms, and controls for inter-calf period, nutrient use efficiency and the amount of extension contact. Results are robust to functional form specification and there is no evidence of frontier-shifting technical progress for the Cobb Douglas or translog model, but there is a clear productivity benefit to engaging with the private extension service provider working locally (adoption). Productivity rises at 0.91–1.06% p.a. over time and by 1.54–1.62% p.a. with each extra year of the extension. Large farms close to the private extension provider’s base of operations benefit most from being in the group. This case study is important because it documents productivity growth in the period since 2010 and puts the effect of extension on productivity growth back on the local research agenda.

Mixed public-private and private extension systems: A comparative analysis using farm-level data from Ireland

Empirical evidence remains scarce in the literature as to whether public and private sectors can effectively coordinate and provide extension services to the whole farming population with respect to sustainable agricultural production. This article compares farmer cohorts participating in mixed public-private and/or private extension services, and non-participants in the context of Irish dairy farming. Differences in farm and farmers’ characteristics are analysed with non-linear regression models, while farm economic and environmental sustainability performance is compared across groups using linear regression models. The findings show that farm size, stocking rate, dairy specialisation, and levels of farm management vary across cohorts, thereby suggesting that mixed public-private and private extension systems can target different pools of participants. Extension participation is associated with higher economic performance, but the analysis provides no evidence of improved environmental sustainability. When comparing mixed public-private and private extension systems in detail, no differences are found in performance across both sustainability dimensions. Policy implications are drawn for the design and implementation of publicly funded extension programmes to achieve greater farm sustainability. Notably, programme worthwhileness, payment schemes, and participants’ selection criteria are discussed.

The impact of sustainable aquaculture technologies on the welfare of small-scale fish farming households in Myanmar

This study analyzed the determinants and potential impacts of the adoption of sustainable aquaculture (SA) technologies on the welfare of small-scale aquaculture (SSA) households in Myanmar using an endogenous switching regression model. Welfare is measured by fish productivity and fish income per cycle and Household Dietary Diversity Score. Our analysis revealed that distance to the sale-point, membership in farmers’ organizations, awareness of pond maintenance benefits, access to information through private extension services, and location were the main drivers behind adopting SA technologies. Results showed that adopting SA technologies increases welfare outcomes of SSA households; however, the non-adopters stand to benefit the most in terms of an increase in welfare outcomes if they adopt the technologies. Our research findings suggested that policies targeted at raising SSA households’ income and dietary diversity can be realized through interventions to raise farmer’s awareness, adoption, and technical know-how about the SA technologies.

Positive Influence of Certification on the Financial Performance of Cocoa Production Models in Cameroon

Cameroon plans to double its cocoa production in the coming decade in line with international requirements for sustainable and deforestation-free cocoa. Private certification, which has developed considerably in recent years, should help achieve this objective. Based on a literature review and 63 individual interviews with farmers, we identified four archetypes of cocoa production using the criteria of plantation size, degree of shade, and support from public or private extension services. We analyzed the average operating accounts of the four archetypes. Our findings show that the net profit rates obtained by small-scale certified producers are 14% (in the savannah zone) and 24% (in the forest zone). These rates are much higher than for the other two production models. Certification schemes provide technical and financial support, which has a positive influence on the practices of many small-scale producers and compensates for the lack of public services, which are now almost non-existent. A hybrid governance of the cocoa sector in Cameroon could clarify and improve the organization of the interactions between public regulation and private certification systems.