FACTORS MILITATING AGAINST THE PERFORMANCE OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION WORKERS IN GOMBE STATE (A CASE STUDY OF FUNAKAYE LGA)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.0 Background of the study
Agricultural Extension Services is an organization that facilitate and support people engaged in Agricultural activities to solve problems and obtain information, skills, and technologies to improve their livelihoods and well-being (Davis, Babu, and Ragasa 2020). An agricultural extension services offers technical advice on Agriculture to farmers, and also supplies them with the necessary inputs and services to support their Agricultural production. It provides information to farmers and passes to the farmers new ideas developed by agricultural research institute. The advisory services are important because they help to share information with farmers so that they can increase their production and profitability, using specialized tips, techniques and technologies. More also Agricultural extension services help farmers increase their yields and profit. Trained agents visit localities to ensure that current best practices are disseminated, cooperatives are formed, and secondary initiatives are implemented.
Agricultural extension has been provided primarily by the public sector in developing countries. In Nigeria, Agricultural extension services have been dominated by Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) funded through the world bank loans, based in each of the 36 state and the federal capital territory since the mid-1970s (Adebayo and idowa 2020). Agricultural extension agencies provide advice, information, and other support services to farmers to enable them to improve the productivity of their crop and animal production and thereby their farm and non- farm incomes. They are also key actors in implementing government's rural development policies and programs. However, due to low quality of service provision through ADPs, In the last 25 years, extension services have been provided by a variety of public, commercial, and voluntary agencies with varying objectives. Gombe State Agricultural Development Programme (GOSADP), 2020.
1.2 Statement of the problem.
Effective performance of extension agent is a pre-condition for improved agricultural production. This informed the establishment of the agricultural development programme (ADPs) in the states of the federation and the federal capital territory (F.C.T) Abuja. For extension workers (as the liners in information and technology delivery to farmers.) perform their functions satisfactorily, there have to be some condition that must be met. The study of such conditions go a long in determining how well extension agents perform in a given area. It also goes further to establish which of the factors need to be strengthened in order to improve the performance of agricultural extension workers.
1.3 Research Question
In order to undertake this study, the following research question were posed:
1. What is the socio-economic characteristics of extension workers in Gombe state.
2. What is the level of training received by the extension workers in Gombe state.
3. What are the types of incentives given to extension workers in Gombe state.
4. What is the level of linkages among extension agents with other relevant institution.
5. What are the problems faced by extension agents in the study area
1.4 Objectives of the study
The broad objectives of this study were to determine the factors militating against the performance of extension workers in Gombe state; where the specific objectives were to
i. Examine the socio-economic characteristics of the extension worker in the study area.
ii. Examine the level of training received by the extension workers in the study area.
iii. Identify the types of incentives available to extension agents.
iv. Analyse the linkages between extension agents and other
v. Examine the problems faced by extension agents in the study area.
1.5 Scope of the Study
This study will focus on the factors that impede effective delivery of extension services by extension workers in Gombe state. The study will be restricted to extension workers in Funakaye L.G.A of Gombe. It will utilize 2022 data obtained from the respondents and ADP.
1.6 Significance of the study
This study will help in the assessment of the factors militating against the performance of extension workers in Funakaye L.G.A of Gombe state. It will help the farmers in knowing the factors that prevents the effective performance of extension agents for improved agricultural production. The study will also serve as the guide for the policy makers in making a decision with the view of enhancing the performance of an extension agents. It helps in providing insight on the problems and constraint faced by the extension agents in the study area.
CHAPTER TWO
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
This chapter is concerned with the review of pertinent literature materials on the performance of extension agents and major factors contribution of extension education in developing countries to improve agricultural production. In this chapter, we are going to discuss the objectives of study that influences the performance of Agricultural extension agents.
2.2. Socio economic characteristics of extension agents
An extension system consists of the interconnectedness between the extension workers, the farmers, the farm environment and the logistics which include the extension methods used for information dissemination. Extension effectiveness and efficiency in performance depends on an enabling political, social, economic, technological and legal environment (Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries (MOALF), 2017). The competences of an extension worker to balance these diverse situations are dependent on the influence of the worker’s socio-economic characteristics. For effective service delivery, the extension worker should be able to identify, categorize, choose and employ adequate extension methods to the clients in terms of enterprise adopted, level of knowledge and skills and resources available (MOALF, 2017). This categorization should be done by the extension worker as opposed to being dictated by the programme.public extension services were well staffed in the 1980s, well facilitated and distributed up to the location levels. Extension services were complemented by functional farmers training centres which held regular farmers’ trainings country wide. However, extension staffing and facilitation has continued to decline due to a government freeze in staff employment leading to low staff numbers.(Mbugua, 2018).
2.3 Level of Training received by Extension workers.
Training is the systematic development of the attitude, knowledge, skill, and behavioral pattern required for the adequate performance of a given job or task. The weakness or absence of training agricultural extension workers after employment planning and instructional program gave a negative effect on the success of the extension work Agricultural extension remains one of the prime movers of agricultural development. An extension agent represents a core labor force in the activities and programmes of agricultural extension. The effectiveness of extension services is highly dependent on the preparedness and professional competencies of extension workers. Wider barriers reduced the effectiveness of extension efforts included farmer resistance to change and complex land tenure arrangements that do not allow investment (Philip and Lindsay, 2021).
2.4 Types of Incentives available to Extension Agents.
One of the key problems of public extension services in developing countries is the well-known incentive failure by extension services to respond to clients’ needs and be accountable to them (World Bank and IFPRI, 2018). This is largely caused by the bureaucratic structure of extension administration, offering only few rewards, poor facilities, meagre prospects of promotion based on performance, and low recognition for extension agents (EAs), leading to a general lack of motivation and morale. Against this backdrop, governments and donor agencies have in the past decades attempted to advance structural, financial, institutional, and managerial improvements to agricultural extension services. Since the 1980s, increasing emphasis has been placed on introducing changes that follow so-called ‘New Public Management’ approaches, which promote different aspects of private sector involvement in extension services, outsourcing and cost-sharing or cost-recovery approaches, a shift from input to outcome performance, and resulted-oriented management (Bitzer, 2019).
Date: 2026-08-09 00:00:00.000000