Full Length Research Paper

Analysis of extension activities on farmers’ productivity in Southwest, Nigeria

Ogunsumi Lucia Omobolanle

Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Obafemi Awolowo, University, Ibadan, Nigeria. E-mail: lucyogunsumi@yahoo.com .

Accepted 31 March, 2008

   Abstract

This study was conducted to analyze extension activities on farmers’ productivity in South West Nigeria. The main objective was to investigate influences of extension contact on adoption level, sustained use of technology as well as farmers’ productivity. Structured interview schedules as well as in-depth study devices were used to collect data, which were analyzed using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that there were significant positive correlations between age and adoption pattern (r = 0.16), age and soybean adoption level (r = 0.15), age and cassava adoption level (r= 0.14), organizational membership and extension contact (r = 0.21), factors affecting sustained use of maize and cassava technologies (r = 0.09) while a negative significant correlation exists between factors affecting sustained use of maize technology and extension contact (r = - 0.15). There were also significant positive correlations between attitude of farmers towards improved technologies and factors affecting the sustained use of maize technologies (r = 0.44). About 84% of variation in the sustained use of technology was explained by the independent variables included into the Probit model. Agricultural technologies developed and disseminated should meet farmers’ socio-cultural, economic and environmental changing situations; Government should fund research and extension to enhance sustainable agriculture.

Key words: Analysis, Extension, farmers, productivity.