ABSTRACT
Meaningful
agricultural development in any society largely hinges on extension system in
place. Agricultural extension assists rural people in the community through
educational procedure in improving their farming methods and techniques, thus
increasing their production efficiency, income, social and living standard. To
bring this to pass requires continuous training of extension personnel in order
to cope with the emerging roles cropping up as a result of developmental
programmes established by the government to improve food production and
reduction in the poverty level of rural dwellers. The study focused on the
personal socio-demographic characteristics, emerging roles of extension
personnel, training needs to cope with the emerging roles and frequency and
type of training programme organized for the extension personnel. It also
identified the major problems affecting the continuous training and retraining
of extension personnel in Kogi State ADP. The study covered twenty one local
government areas of Kogi State which is divided into four agricultural zones:
Zone A, B, C, and D. Data used were collected from one hundred extension
personnel using questionnaire items. The study reveal that there is need for
continuous training of extension personnel but some major constraints such as
inadequate fund, administrative bottleneck, lack of continuity of extension
policy have to be overcome. The Kogi State government should provide financial
support as well as regular payment of personnel wages interms of salaries, bonus
and arrears. Fund should be released to KSADP as at when due for proper,
planning and execution of training programme for her personnel. Motivation of
personnel should be taken into consideration to enhance their regular
attendance to training programmes. There should be continuity of extension
policy to backup consistent training of extension personnel. Necessary training
facilities and equipment should be provided by Kogi State ADP in order to
enhance good training of her staff.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background
Information:
Nigeria is
basically an agricultural country and about 65% to 70% of the population earns
their living from agriculture (Idachaba, 1990). However, despite abundant oil,
or mineral wealth, Nigeria faces acute food shortages as a result of low
agricultural productivity to march the increases in population. The level of
technology in Nigeria agriculture is relatively low because technologies
developed through research and development activities are not reaching the
peasant farmers. This situation calls for a virtue extension that will link the
farmers with the researchers effectively (Oladele and Afoloyan 2005).
Extension is
a comprehensive programme of services deliberately put in place for expanding,
strengthening and empowering the capacity of the present and prospective
farmers farm families, other rural economic operators (processors, marketers,
rural agro-industrialists) that need to succeed in farming and farm related
occupations. This is done through participatory stakeholdership with
researchers, policy makers, extensionists, educators, agro investers and
farmers themselves to put in place a strong programme of improved agricultural
production and farm investment environment. It is thus a farmer centred
programme at building agriculture through building of the farmers (Adedoyin
2002).
Agricultural extension is the main vehicle for the dissemination of technical and economic information hinges on training as the key to sustainable agricultural development. A well trained
extension personnel, especially an extension, agent is the most important
single element, for achieving the aims and objectives of extension organization
as they relate with the clientele directly in their rural setting (Madukwe
2005).
According to
Amalu (1998), agriculture has changed at an extra ordinary rapid pace over the
past fifty years. The changes have included rapid shifts in agricultural
technologies and practices as well as fundamental adjustments in the social
relations of agricultural production and food distribution. The failure to
achieve the numerous rural development objectives of the federal government has
led to the introduction of an integrated approach represented by the
Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) system (Amalu, 1998). The system is
based on the premise that a combination of factors comprising the appropriate
technology or innovation, effective extension access to physical inputs,
adequate market and infrastructural facilities are essential to getting
agriculture moving. This was to improve Agricultural productivity supported by
basic infrastructure needed to raise the living standard of rural dwellers
(Amon 1982). Infrastructural facilities development include sequential
construction of rural roads, small dams, farm service centres, seed
multiplication units, input distribution centres, demonstrating linkages among
institutions.
According to
Emmanuel (1998) the ADP have proved to be the most result yielding programmes
in Nigeria since its inception. These programmes emerged in the Second National
Economic Development Plan between 1970-1975. The development of the
agricultural development projects in Nigeria fall into three distinct
generations. The first generation comprised of enclave projects that covered a
limited number of local government areas in the Northern Guinea savanna zone of
Nigeria in 1975. (Funtua, Gusua, and Gombe). Other ADPs were establish in
different states of Nigeria between 1978 and 1986
Kogi State
Agricultural Development Programme came into existence with the creation of
Kogi State in 1991. The personnel came from Kwara and Benue ADP to
The
achievement of the objectives of agricultural extension is possible only within
the framework of a formal organization and organizational structure. For
effective coordination and implementation of the ADPs, each project has an
executive committee known as Agricultural Development Executive Committee
(ADPEC) headed by the state executive governor, commissioner for agriculture,
project manager and adjudged relevant federal and state top functionaries of
ministries and parastatals. This committee coordinates project activities,
approve annual work plans and budgets, appoints and supervises senior staff,
reviews project performance, awarding contracts, and supervising procurement
activities. Next is the project management unit (PMU), which is headed by
programme manager, assisted by the sub-programme heads or directors in the
project and the zonal managers. The PMU ensures the implementation of all
policies and directive approved by ADPEC. It meets every three months to review
the performance of the project and takes vital policy decisions for operation
of the programme.
The
organizations of ADPs are undertaken through the activities of two major
programmes, namely, the core and support service programme. The core programme
includes: the technical extension, engineering and commercial sub programme
while the support service comprises the administration, finance, and account,
planning, monitoring and evaluation, human resources development and training
sub programmes. The human resource development and training is to ensure
continuous supply of necessary skills both qualitative and quantitative for the
attainment of the project goals and objectives. It handles human....
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Item Type: Project Material | Attribute: 86 pages | Chapters: 1-5
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