It I believed that the establishment of agricultural
extension system is to help farmers increase their agricultural production. And it is also believed that if
farmers increase their production, both the farmers themselves and government
will benefit from it.
For instance, the farm families’ welfare will be better, the agro-allied industries will adequately meet their raw material demands and the nations foreign exchange earning will be boosted. The backbone of all agricultural extension endeavour is, therefore, the transfer of agricultural information and technologies to enhance the productive capacity of the farmers.
For instance, the farm families’ welfare will be better, the agro-allied industries will adequately meet their raw material demands and the nations foreign exchange earning will be boosted. The backbone of all agricultural extension endeavour is, therefore, the transfer of agricultural information and technologies to enhance the productive capacity of the farmers.
Agricultural extension involves systematic and
organized interaction with farmers with the aim of increasing their agricultural
production and stimulating development.
THE MEANING OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION
Different authors and scholars at different levels
have viewed agricultural extension in various ways. For example, Bardsly (1982)
cited by Nwuzor 2009, viewed guttural extension as a service or system which
assists farm people through educational procedures in improving farming methods
and techniques, increasing production efficiency and income, bettering their
levels of living and lifting social and educational lives of rural people. It
uses information obtained and assembled form research studies based on
experience, trail and demonstration for the purpose of extending knowledge to
the rural people. The use of farm visit, result and method demonstration, group
meetings and group discussion, mass media, posters and audio visual aid are
very effective means of extending knowledge to the rural populace.
Agricultural extensions defined by the food and
agricultural organization (FAO, 1992) as informal out of school educational
services for training and influencing farmers to adopt improved practices in
crop and livestock productions, management, conservation and marketing.
Madukwe (1995), cited by Nwuzor 2009, defined agricultural
extension as a voluntary out of
school educational Programmes for adults
of relevant content derived from researches
in the physical, biological and
social science synthesized into a body of concept, principles and procedures.
It employees teaching and learning principles that affect changes in the
farmers generally carried out in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect
between agricultural extension agents and their clientele.
Nwuzor (2006) observed extension education as an
informal out of school system of education designed to help rural people to
satisfy their needs, interests and desires.