AN ASSESSMENT OF ACCESS TO AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICES AMONGST WOMEN VEGETABLE FARMERS IN OSUN STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined women vegetable farmers’ access to extension services in Osun state, Nigeria. A two-stage sampling procedure was used to select 140 respondents. The procedure of selection involved firstly a random selection of 14 communities and secondly a random selection of 10 women from the list of women vegetable farmers in each community selected in the Iwo agricultural zone. Data were obtained by the use of an interview schedule. Data obtained was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. All (100%) respondents cultivated Corchorus, Hibiscus esculentus, Celosia argentia and Amaranthus hybridus while the majority (60.7%) had never been visited by extension agents. The foremost extension services accessed by the farmers were farm or plot demonstration of improved seed practices (mean=1.69), linkage with a source of viable seeds (mean=1.53), linkage with sources of credit facilities (mean=1.32), and provision of information on marketing (mean=1.24). Lack of access to credit or finance (mean=4.75), water deficiency and lack of irrigation water for the planting of vegetable crops (mean=4.74), high cost of improved seed (mean=4.69) and limited access or no contact with the extension agents (mean=4.56) were the highest ranked problems facing women in vegetable productions. The result of the hypothesis shows that only farm size (r = 0.318, p< 0.01) was positive and significant related to access to extension services. The study concluded that few women vegetable farmers had access to agricultural extension services in the study area. The study recommended that extension organisations in the study area should focus more on women farmers in their extension service programmes by providing more access to credits, irrigation facilities and improved seeds.