Examining the reach of public and private agricultural advisory services and farmers’ perceptions of their quality: the case of county Laois in Ireland

PurposeThis article examines the reach, the amount, the content and the quality of agricultural extension in County Laois in Ireland as reported by farmers. It seeks to better understand extension interaction in an Irish county case.Design/Methodology/ApproachA structured questionnaire on personal, farm and farming practices was administered to 270 farmers in three farm districts in Laois with registered farm holding being the farmer identification determinant. A systematic approach to finding all farmers in the selected districts was adopted.FindingsAlmost one-third of farmers were not using extension services. A little more than one third had contracts with private sector advisors and a similar proportion contracted with public sector advisors. There were no significant differences between public and private services in both the frequency and type of extension services received. Regarding quality (merit) of services as perceived by farmers, defined as independence, reliability, usefulness and value for money, farmers rated the private extension service higher than the public service.Practical ImplicationsHighlights the differences in both usage of and farmers perceptions of public and private farm advisory services and can guide the promotion of these services.Theoretical ImplicationsComparison of farmers’ perspectives on pluralised advisory services and how farmers rate these services has received little attention in academic research. In the context of services associated with the AKIS, the implication points to the need for greater appreciation of how farmer clients view services.Originality/ValuePluralised extension provision has been subject to little in-depth scrutiny to date. This article advances new information in the area.