Influence of Public and Private Sector Extension Services in the Adoption of Improved Cassava Varieties by Farmers in Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

The public sector extension service in Nigeria was anchored by the Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs). In Rivers State, the ADP was established in 1987 as a semi-autonomous, self accounting unit with the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources and funding was based on the following ration, RSG -14%, FG-20% and world bank-66%.

Similarly, the private sector extension services in Rivers State was provided by the multinational oil and gas companies notably, SPDC, TEPNG and NAOC with SPDC taken the lead, hence its choice in the study. SPDC started agricultural projects in 1965 in Ogoni but the activities were blown to limelight in early 90s with 9 extension officers resident in the company’s host communities called zones. The main objectives of the public and private sector extension services was to ensure food security through communication of technologies to farmers for enhanced adoption of improved varieties and farming systems mostly in the areas of crop, fisheries and animal productions.

This study x-rayed the adoption of improved cassava varieties that was considered in great demand over local varieties (due to its numerous advantages) as a source of major staple food (garri, amala, fufu) in Nigeria. Participatory and interactive bottom-up approach was employed to obtain data from the farmers and extension officers. Simple descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation were used. Technologies considered influential on improved cassava varieties adoption were planting time, planting length/population, planting distance (spacing), planting regime, weed control, appropriate fertilizer availability / application methods, harvesting time and other agronomic procedures. Results showed moderate adoption of overall recommended technologies of improved cassava production from farmers served by the public and private sector extension services but relatively higher adoption rate by the private sector than the public sector. A phenomenon caused by additional incentives by the operators of the private sector extension system. However, there was a significant difference in the adoption of recommended planting date between farmers reached by public and private extension officers. Conversely, there were no significant differences between farmers served by the extension systems with respect to the adoption of spacing, fertilizer type and fertilizer quantity. Thus, it revealed that when the component technologies were pooled, their overall adoption was not significantly different between farmers served by the public and private sector extension services. It was also found that private sector extension system operates like a social responsibility without legislative framework; hence their continued operation in Nigeria was doubtful. This situation could impose a serious threat to food security and negatively affect government transformation plan for agriculture.

It was recommended among others that the skills of extension officers of both public and private sectors be improved through periodic trainings. Regular logistics was important for effective extension system and that holistic approach using Research-Extension-Farmers-Inputs-Linkage-System (REFILS) should be employed and MTRM organized so that the farmers through the extension officers would constantly be informed of new varieties from the Research Institutes. Legislative framework would be a must for multinational oil and gas companies in Nigeria to continued support for agricultural development.

In conclusion, until cassava production is enhanced through mass adoption of improved varieties, the Federal Government plan of using cassava flour as input in bread production would introduce scarcity to source of Nigerian most staple food which could result to starvation. This scenario and security situation in Nigeria would rather be imagined than described.

Keywords: Agricultural extension value chain, Overall adoption, improved cassava production technologies, Food security, Public and Private sector extension system, Legislative framework