ABSTRACT
This study evaluates the role of Extension Agents in enhancing the performance of Farmers’ Multipurpose Cooperatives Societies (FMCS). The small scale farmers are grappling with numerous problems which have adversely affected their performance. They joined FMCS in order to solve those problems. Meanwhile, they still face some of those problems. A total of 50 FMCS were selected which 100 members were selected. The officers were purposively selected while members were randomly selected. Simple statistical analyses were utilized in the analysis. The results are follows. Most of the cooperators are males, married and no educational background. They aged 25 – 50 years, family size of between 5 and 8, they are on fulltime basis and produce mostly crops. They had their income when they joined the cooperatives because they obtained loan used in expanding the business. They obtained information from fellow cooperatives. They were also taught new skills. The ordinary least square simple regression shows that the number of visits by the Extension Agent determines the level of revenue.
Therefore Extension Agent play major role in enhancing revenue through increased output. Among the problems that they faced was lack of agricultural machineries and implement, late arrivals of outputs, and high degree if illiteracy amongst them. This researcher recommends making available machineries and implement, early arrivals inputs and intensification of non-formal education for the cooperators to widen their scope of knowledge.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
A major problem facing Nigeria today is how to produce enough food for its geometrically increasing population. The level of food production in the country is barely keeping pace with the population growth. The general food situation in Nigeria has been precarious since the early 1970s. The rate of growth in demand for food in Nigeria in the 1970s was 3.7 percent per annum (Food and Agriculture Organization rate (FAO) 2007.
In the past two decades the gap between demand and supply of food in Nigeria increased considerably. According to Enugu State blue print on Agricultural policy and program (2006) the population growth in Enugu State is 4332750 persons, which is out pacing food production. To increase production for the increasing population, farmers decide to join cooperative societies. According to Mgbada (2002) observed that the formation of farmers cooperative societies has helped members work together to solve their problems in respect of inputs, credits and marketing of their products.
A look at the Nigerian agricultural sector shows that there is every need for something to be done in the area of production for meaningful development to be achieved. The technological revolution has brought about several changes in the structure of agriculture and that is why some agricultural development programmes were initiated by successive government to boost food production. They are:-
1. Agricultural Development Project (ADP) 1972
2. Federal Ministry of Agriculture which was created in 1973, it was charged with developing agriculture.
3. National Accelerated Food Production Programme
(NAFPP) of 1973.
4. River Basin Development Authority (RBDA) 1974.
In 1976, Obasanjo administration launched operation feed the Nation with the hope that food production would increase. His successor Alhaji Shehu Shargari introduced the
Green Revolution in 1980, as at the end of February 1983, a staggering sum of #1.2 million had been spent on the programme without any visible increase in food production. Time international (1983).
Also launched were Directorate of Food Roads and Rural
Infrastructure (DFRRI) of 1987. The Nigerian Agricultural Land
Development Authority (NALDA) of 1992 and later was scrapped
Umebali (2004). The facilities such as 18 agricultural commodity Research institutions, 44 agricultural input and services. Mention should be made of Nigerian Agricultural and Cooperative Bank Limited now Nigerian Agricultural Cooperative and Rural
Development Bank and that of rural banking known as Nigeria Micro-Finance Banks. All with the hope that food production would increase.
In Nigeria, farming activities are dominantly performed by individual farmers or household farmers. There is no doubt that the small scale farmers constitutes an important and in invaluable sector on Nigeria economy. The small scale farmers are very efficient in the utilization of the basic production resources available to them. The Nigerian small scale farmers
do make significant and important contribution in National economy.
Despite these obvious role played by the small farmers in the economy, the issue of food production is fast into perennial problem. Madu (2004) stated that the record in recent years in many African countries with respect to agricultural production has not been good. Ozowa (2004) observed that a country that is self–sufficient in food production enjoys reasonable measure of power status to certain degree in the work. This according to him is because a country that produces enough food for domestic consumption and excess for export enjoys economic advantages and can utilize food effectively, as power weapon or foreign policy. This self-sufficiency in food production can only be achieved if Nigerian’s greater population that is made up of rural dwellers is mobilized both men and women.
The FAO report of 2000 agreed that a nation of rural people must spend most of its manpower and energy in the endless quest for food, and that is only when men and women could be released from its struggle for food its would be
possible to produce the other amenities. That result in high standard of living.
Unfortunately, the farming conduction of the producers the rural farmers has been made worse by the nature of their faming implement and tools. “He at most always works to the edge of poverty eking out a living as best he knows. Madu (2005).
Moreover, in spite of various scientific methods and programmes involved in solving these individual farmers problem in order to boost food production. It has been discovered that the rate at which population growth was faster than that if food production. Malthus (1992) argued that a stage would come when food supply would not match population growth. Although modern economist has proven Malthus theory wrong especially in Europe and other advanced countries due to development in technical knowledge and mechanization of agriculture coupled with changes in social status attitude as regards to the size of family, good supply has never exceed the population size. However, Malthus theory cannot be said to be anything less that true as far as developing countries like Nigeria, Zambia and Niger Republic are concerned.
However, to solve the individual farmers problems Agricultural Extension Agents has to come in. This Agency is responsible for extending the scientific knowledge, improving the skills, practices and changing the attitudes of rural farmer and also increasing their incomes and standard of living by their own efforts, using their own resources of manpower and material with the minimum of assistance from government. By encouraging local leadership and a spirit of self help, extension develops civil pride and the progressive growth of the community. But the ministry responsible for the extension of this noble idea has not lived up to expectation with innovation and practices. Hence, other agencies such as Farmers’ Multi-purpose cooperative have be organized by the extension services to serve as channels through which farmers could be helped to accept improved farm technology on sustained basis. Farmers multi-purpose
cooperative society therefore not only serve the farmers interest in their specific objectives such as
marketing, process, transport etc. But also the interest of the community and the country by developing quantities of leadership and organization in their members. Very often problems that are common to a number of individuals farmers can be solved by a group that is cooperatives. The over coming of obstacles to improves living conditions of rural farmers frequently depends on well organized joint actions
(cooperatives) in which the people (farmers) take part both in the proposed action. A well organized cooperative society representing a considerable body of people is able to bring its vies to the notice of government thereby reducing the gap that often exist between government and the farmers.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Agricultural production in Enugu State like in any other state in the country is carried out mostly by smallholder farmers who always use crude implement in performing their farming activities. Because of this the performance of the food subsector has rather been poor. According to Agu (2007) this scale farming consist of a small piece of land be cultivated, labour is usually by manual and family. Only the farming family is catered for the surpluses if any, sold, the total yield/out put is very low. Obsolete technology or primitive tools are often used. Cost of production is very low. The farming operations are usually accomplished with minimum application of agro-chemical (pesticides herbicides fertilizer etc.) Umebali (2002) pointed out that resource use in small forms are very efficient with the frame work of static technology and within the context of traditional tired and sometimes tool proof farming system. Madu (2004) observed that the farming system in African communities is predominately traditional, involving daily struggle with primitive tools and implements. Anyanwu (2004) critically observed that two out of every three Nigerians work on the farm and that the Nigerian farmer has only primitives tools, small land holding (0.5-4.0) area infertile soil, poor crop varieties, low yield, unproductive livestock, low incomes of improving and his family, poor nutrition and less than desirable levels of family living.
However, it must be emphasized that peasant cooperator with limited economic resources with which to work few area of land, few inefficient hand tools and most importantly of all, little or nor education and technical knowledge on how to improve his agricultural practices cannot be solely held responsible for such short comings in food production. There is no doubt that farmers would lead to increase food production and income if he has contracts with extension agents. These extension agents who are suppose to impact agricultural knowledge to be farmers are very few in numbers. Some of them are not knowledgeable enough to carry out the duties assigned to them. There is no mobility for them to go from one rural area to another etc.
The scientific agricultural information vendor, thus this work tends to address the following questions:
i. Has the extension service been able to provide adequate food production recommendations to
cooperators?
ii. Does the cooperator carry the right instructions given to them by the extension agents?
iii. Did the cooperators perform the instructions at the right time and place?
1.3 Objective of the Study
The broad objective of this study is to examine role of agriculture extension services in enhancing Farmer’s
Multipurpose Cooperative societies.
The specific objectives of the study are to:
i. Determine the socio-economic characteristics of the cooperative.
ii. Determine extension strategies in disseminating farm information to farmers.
iii. Determine the linkages that exist between the extension staff and farmers staff and farmers multi-purpose cooperative societies. iv. Determine the effect of extension visits on the farmers’ output per hectare.
v. Identify the problems facing farmers’ multi-purpose cooperative societies in Ezeagu Local government Area of Enugu State. vi. Make policy recommendations based on the findings.
1.4 Hypothesis
H0: Number is a visit by the extension agents is
significant factor that determines the level of revenue of FMCS.
H1: Number of visits by the extension agents is not a significant factor that determines the level of revenue of FMCS
1.5 Justification for the Study
There had been very high need by the various government and World Bank to ensure that the socio-economic life of poor farmers are improved. This is authenticated by Mgbada (2004) who stated that over all objectives of the Agricultural Development project (ADP) was to improve the socio-economic status of the small scale farmer through increase in his farm production.
This study is relevant in that it will give extension workers the opportunity of meeting many farmers at a time so that they can discuss their problems and contributions can be made to their problems. This has been the problem of extension especially in Nigeria where the ratio of extension workers to farmers is very low. Farmers will benefit by cooperation action in the areas of use of scientific farming methods and improved credit system, adoption of good marketing channels, the contribution of individual farmers will help to improve their resources and help them to adopt innovation which may require some initial capital. Good leaders could be selected from the cooperatives that can help their fellow members in the introduction of new technologies. There are often easier to accomplish through joining Agricultural cooperative society.
Government will use it as a base through which to disseminate information to farmers. Cooperatives centre can be used by government and other agencies as a storage centers in the rural areas of the study area. The
recommendation if implemented would draw the cooperators nearer to the extension staff, to the government and as a result lead to increase in food production by increasing the agricultural scientific knowledge of the cooperator who is the producers.
1.6 Limitation of the Study
The study was limited to cooperators in Ezeagu Local Government Area. Although some problems were however, encountered in the course of the data collection. It was mostly financial constraint on the side of the researcher.
Another major limitation was time which inhibits the researcher from reaching all the farmers especially those in the most interior communities. Illiteracy of most of the farmers also constitutes a serious constraint as the cooperators cannot read or write on the questionnaire without assistance from the researcher.
The problem of bad roads in the Local Government Area created a very terrible hindrance for this research work.
The researcher was demobilized because you hardly see vehicle plying those sprouts, however, it was also not easy to collect information on the income of the farmers. The cooperators were unwilling to give information concerning their income because of the fear that it might be used for tax purposes. The cooperators’ low level of education and the lack of record keeping constituted major problems in the task of collecting these data. Although the fact those cooperators did not keep good record made it difficult to collect accurate data. It is however, assumed that the data collect is a fair representation of the cooperators.