Effectiveness of Extension Services Among Arable Crop Farmers in Itu Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

This study assessed the effectiveness of extension services, among arable crop farmers in Itu Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The specific objectives included the determination of the socio-economic characteristics of the arable crop farmers, identifying the farmers' sources of information on improved arable crop production, determination of the farm practices adopted by the arable crop farmers; and identification of factors which limit effective adoption of agricultural extension services towards the improvement of practices by arable crop farmers. Data were obtained from primary sources. A random sampling technique was used in the selection of farmers. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for analysis. Findings had it that 16.7 percent of the respondents were less than 20 years, and the mean age was 42. Also, 34.2 percent of the respondents were male while 65.8 percent were female. Again, 8.3 percent of the respondents had no formal education, 32.5 percent attended primary school, and most of the respondents were literates as shown by 50percent that had attended secondary school, 9.2 percents attended tertiary. The available information sources to the farmers in the study area were, radio and television with mean score of 3.0 each, neighbours 2.80, co farmers (3.0), cooperative meetings and extension agents with mean scores of 2.0 each. Above all, internet and town hall meetings were not available for the farmers. The adopted practices by farmers in the study area were, regular weeding (3.5), proper harvesting (3.3), mixed Cropping (3.2), mulching (3.1), bush fallowing (3.1), sole (2.9), mixed farming (2.7) and regular pest and diseases control (2.7). The services rendered by the extension agents in the study area was moderately effectiveness. The constraints faced by the farmers were marketing challenges, lack of coordination among agents, poor infrastructure, inadequate and irregular funding, inadequate and poor quality of staff, poor targeting of vulnerable groups and top-down approach. From the afore-going, it is pertinent to recommend that, farmers should be encouraged through adequate training, with increased incentives to extension agents, coupled with budgetary supervisions to ensure effective extension service delivery to the arable crop farmers in the study area.