Assessment of extension media use among youth farmers in Oyo and Ondo states, Nigeria

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1 AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES ISSN Print: , ISSN Online: , doi: /ajsms , ScienceHuβ, Assessment of extension media use among youth farmers in Oyo and Ondo states, Nigeria Ewuola, S. O. 1, Ogunsumi, L. O. 2, and Augustu, E.O. 2 1 Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, 2 Institute of Agricultural Researfch and Training, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ibadan, Nigeria lucyogunsumi@yahoo.com ABSTRACT The study on assessment of extension media among youth farmers was carried out in Oyo and Ondo States of Nigeria. Data were obtained from 48 youth farmers and 24 extension agents from one zone of the ADP per state. The youth farmers were purposively sampled for having participated in extension media training at one time or the other, or their parent being contact farmers. Structured and validated questionnaires were used to elicit necessary information coupled with personal interview. The data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages and correlation co-efficient. The respondents were 30 years and below with the modal group being 16 20years. The respondents were educated only 25percent were without formal education. Majority of them (67.5%) got innovation disseminated through television. Over 80 percent were aware of extension media in the study areas while only 20percent were not aware. disseminated include agricultural mechanization, improved seed production, mixed farming, and fertilizer application among others. The channels that were popular among the respondents include: radio and personal contact (53.7%) each. While demonstration was popular among the extension agents. There was negative correlation between age of respondents and diffusion of innovation. All the variables fitted were significant with exception of farm size. Based on the findings, the following recommendations were proffered: Government should make provisions for creating extension service departments in agricultural establishment where they do not exist. Keywords: Extension media, youth farmers, Nigeria INTRODUCTION Agricultural extension service was established in order to impart knowledge, teaching skills and change attitudes of people towards acceptance of innovations. Hence, farmers have to be assisted to develop a frame of mind and attitude conducive to acceptance of new technology. Agricultural extension is an educational endeavour, which seeks to help a particular set of people (farmers) to identify and solve their problems by themselves. It is created to fill the cultural gap between farmers and extension workers. Extension education can be defined as the out of school process of bringing desirable changes in the knowledge, skill and attitudes of adult and youth in order to help themselves in their day to day problems.(adeagbo, 1998 and Ewuola, 2002). Young people are a driving force in development. They are strong, bold, dynamic, largely unselfish and uncorrupted. They are a replacement stock and the major ingredient in any sustainable arrangement. They are the hope of continuity for any nation, profession or organization. (Ewuola, 2002 ). Extension is a system that helps in improving the knowledge of farmers to improve their farming methods and adopting a new practice with a view to increasing their standard of living. Through extension services, a new technique can be adopted for better production efficiency and income level to improve the living standard of the rural people. There are various types of extension media, which include: (a) Demonstration: This includes method of demonstration and result demonstration Tours and field trips Specimen and real life objects

2 Model Picture Exhibit and display (b) Projected visual which include the followings: Films, overhead projector, film strips, flash card, posters, chalk boards, flannel graph, magi board, flip chart, computer projector among others. (c) Finally, electronic media which include radio, television and telephone calls. In addition to ensuring that the target audience easily tends to accept information, the use of media in extension work enables the extension staff to operate more effectively. Furthermore, extension aids are attractive to the receivers and motivate them. Audiovisuals aids are visual symbols accompanied by some form of simultaneous or nearly simultaneous auditory utterance (Obinne, 1992). The ultimate aim of any agricultural extension programme is to help in improving the knowledge of farmers to improve their farming methods and adopting a new practice with a view to increasing their standard of living. This can be achieved by using right extension media. In Oyo and Ondo States where majority of the population are deeply involved in agricultural production, farmers in these areas still practice the old method of cultivation which disallow them from adopting agricultural innovation or when adopted could not be sustained. In addition, most agricultural information do not reach them on time or at all. Extension agents have attributed these problems to inadequate delivery of agricultural research information through the right extension media. It is unanimously believed that majority of farmers are not educated. It is also believed that majority of their children are well educated. The household can be better reached if the youths are focused and the right extension media are used. (Ogunsumi, 2003) The main objective of this paper is to assess the effectiveness of extension media in the dissemination of agricultural innovations among youths in Oyo and Ondo States of Nigeria. Other specific objectives include to : (1) determine the extent of usage of extension media in disseminating agricultural information/innovations in the study area: (2) determine the level of youth awareness of extension media; (3) Determine the effectiveness of various extension media in the dissemination of agricultural innovations; (4) Know the problems facing the dissemination of agricultural innovations to the youths. METHODOLOGY The instruments employed in collecting of data for this study were the use of validat3ed and structured questionnaires and personal interviews. The farmers households were randomly selected from one ADP zone in each of the states where extension media had previously be used. A sample size of 60 households was initially proposed, however, only 48 households were found with adequate information for this study at 24 households per zone per state included in the sample within the ages of 30 years and below, 24 extension agents were only interviewed within the ADP zone. The data collected were analyzed using frequencies, percentages and correlation co-efficient. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Socio economic characteristics of respondents Table1: Distribution of respondents by socio-economic characteristics. Age (Years) No. Respondents Percentage Less than Above No. of Gender Respondents Percentage Male Female No. of Level of Education Respondents Percentage No. formal education Primary six Modern III WASC Higher Institution

3 Table 1 shows that 35.4% of the respondents were between the ages of 16 and 20years mean age of the respondents was 12 years. The table also reveals that majority of the respondents (62.5%) were males while 37.5% were females, this may be as a result of cumbersome masculine nature of farming activities. The educational status of respondents interviewed reveals that 35.4 percent had primary education and Modern III, WASC and Higher Institution recorded 62.5percent respectively (Table1) Table 2: Channel of Disseminating Agricultural Innovations Channel Frequency Percentage Demostration Television Radio Postal/Hand Bills Total It can be deduced that television has the highest percentage of followed by radio with 25%. Other channels used by extension agents to reach the youths are posters and handbills (Table 2). Table 3: Awareness of extension media among the respondents. Awareness of Extension Media Frequency Percentage (%) Yes No 8 17 It can be seen from table 3 that the level of awareness of extension media was high among respondents. Majority (83%) was aware, while only 17percent were not aware. Table 4: Effective of various Extension Media/Channel Channel Frequency Ratings Demonstration 25(52.1) 1st Radio 19(39.6) 2nd Television 3(6.3) 3rd Postal/Hand Bills 1(2.1) 4th * Figures in parentheses indicate percentages Personal contact was rated 1 st among the respondents this is followed by radio while television was rated 3 rd and post bills was rated as the least effective of extension media. (Table 4). Table 5: Agricultural Disseminated to Farmers known to youth farmers Disseminated By Agents Agric Mechanization 9(18.8) 6(25.0) Improved seed/production package 6(12) 2(8.33) Mixed farming 7(14) 6(25.0) Fertilizer application 8(16) - Seed dressing 5(10) - Farming methods/proven agriculture 3(6) - Grafting/Budding method 2(4) - Seed treatment 5(10) - Livestock rearing 1(2) - Modern Agric. Technology 10(41.7) Total 48(100) 24(100) * Figures in parentheses and indicate percentages The table 5 shows that youth farmers were aware of many technologies than the number disseminated by the agents. While farmers received 9 technologies, the agent claimed they have disseminated 6 technologies. The multiple sources of information available to farmers could have been responsible for the awareness of many other technologies disseminated by extension agents. These sources may include radio, television, programmes, poster and jingles. The channel of innovation dissemination represented in table 6 shows that radio and personal contacts were the most prominent means by which youths received innovation. On the other hand, extension agents use demonstration as the most prominent means of disseminating innovation. Other sources used by the agent include radio ant hand bills. 183

4 Table 6: Channels of Disseminating Agricultural Innovation Channels of Innovation Youth Extension Frequency % Agents Frequency % Demonstrations Television Radio Postal/Hand Bills Personal contact Others Table 7: Effectiveness of Channel of Innovation by respondents Channels of Innovation Youth Extension Frequency % Agents Frequency % Radio Television Bulletin Leaflets Postal Demonstrations Projected visuals Personal contact Table 7 presents the most effective channel by which extension agents disseminated innovation and consequently, the means of reception by youth farmers. Personal contact and radio were the most effective channels from the farmers perspective, while radio and demonstrations were effective from the view of extension agents. The impact of the mass media could have been responsible for the effectiveness recorded for radio. Table 8: Usefulness of Extension Information Usefulness Frequency Extension Percentage (%) Very useful Useful Not useful 4 8 The usefulness of extension information to the farmers as contained in table 8 shows 42percent of the youth farmers found extension information to be very useful. About 50percent of them found it useful while 8percent of the farmers considered it as not useful. This is very encouraging and it means that the farmers were able to practice the innovation disseminated to them and they found it useful. Table 9: Correlation between Diffusion of Innovation and Independent Variables Independent Variables r p value Remarks Age Significant Farm size Not Significant Information usefulness Significant Channels Significant Contact with Extension agents Significant Farm size Significant P 0.05 Where s = significant n.s = Not significant r = correlation value p = probability coefficient 184

5 Correlation analysis between diffusion of innovation and some independent values indicated that age had a strong inverse relationship with diffusion of innovations (r = -0.65; p 0.05). Similarly, farm size had r-value of This indicates that there is no significant relationship between farm size and diffusion of innovation (p>0.05). Other variables that were significant were channels of innovation and contact with extension agents with r-value of 0.54 and 0.55 respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study highlight the prospects that could be achieved if correction extension media are used to disseminate agricultural innovations. Also rate of adoption of technologies by the farmers or any other targets will be high and there will be increase in the production of agricultural produce. And subsequently the nation will achieve the national goal of been self sufficient in food production. RECOMMENDATIONS The following recommendations will however alleviate the problems of dissemination and adoption of agricultural innovations. Since the farmers prefer to receive farm innovations through agricultural programmes on radio agricultural programmes should be aired at farmers convenient time, probably in the evening when they would have returned from their farms Extension agents who have direct contact with the farmers can also put the farmers through on how to link the originator of the agricultural messages disseminated through broadcasting media. Extension agents should also help to provide a supporting service to the farmers in order to comprehend what they are being taught over the radio or television. Government should assist on the provision of community radio9 and television, so that every rural dweller will have opportunity of enjoying the broadcast media. Efforts should be made to introduce basic adult education to the illiterate farmers since most of the farmers did not even attain primary school education. This will go a long way in improving on the adoption level of the introduced technologies and further remove other problem of technology transfer. REFERENCES Adeagbo, A.(1998): Assessment of Forestry Extension Services in Forestry related Organizations and Establishments Daniel, Benor, James Q, Harrison and Michael Baxter(1977): Agricultural Extension. The Training and Visit System pp Ewuola, S. O. (2002): Career in Agriculture among Youths Paper Presented at the 5 th Annual Conference and Research Net Work Meeting of Children in Agriculture (CIAP) held NISER. Ibadan. Fiegelk, F.C. (1984): Extension Communication and the Adoption Process. In B.E Swansonh (Ed), Agricultural Extension. Reference Manual, 2 nd Ed, FAO, Rome, pp Lasswell, H.D (1986): The Structure and Function of Communication in society. In Ereslon, B.and M. Janowitz (Ed). Reader in Public Opinion and Communication, 2 nd Ed, The Free Press New York City pp.178. Obinne C.P.O. (1992): Appropriate Methods for Extension Teaching. Pre Seasons in Service Training for ADPs of Benue and Gongola States. Co-operative Extension Center Training Workshop Series. No 3 University of Agriculture, Makurdi pp Ogunsumi. L. O. (2003): Record Keeping and Cash: Management In Small Scale Enterprises: Paper Presented a Lagos ADP Monthly Training Review Meetings held on the 19 th Sept Fenley. J.M. Williams, S.K.T and Williams C. E. (1984): A Manual for Agricultural Extension Workers in Nigeria, Ibadan pp