Access to Agricultural Extension Information and Agricultural Development among Rural Farmers in Sagamu Local Government Area, Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined access to agricultural extension information and its relationship with agricultural development among rural farmers in Sagamu Local Government Area, Ogun State, Nigeria. A survey design was adopted. Multistage sampling was used to select 120 respondents from six farming communities. Data were collected with a structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and Pearson product-moment correlation. Most respondents were male (65.0%), married (63.3%) and aged 31–50 years (55.0%). About 68.4% had at least secondary education and 82.5% had more than five years of farming experience; the majority operated small-scale farms. Farmer groups/cooperatives and mobile phones/social media were rated the most useful sources of extension information (mean = 2.88 each), followed by extension agents (2.84), input dealers/fellow farmers (2.77) and radio/television (2.73), yielding a grand mean of 2.82. Respondents perceived extension information as beneficial to agricultural development (grand mean = 3.07), especially regarding practice adoption, productivity and reduced production losses. Access to extension information was significantly associated with educational level, farm size and cooperative membership, but not with sex, age or farming experience. A moderately positive and significant relationship was found between access to extension information and the agricultural development score (r = .522, p < .001). The study concludes that strengthening access to extension information particularly through cooperatives and digital channels and reducing educational disparities can support agricultural development in the study area. It recommends accessible, affordable and locally appropriate extension delivery targeted at less-educated and non-cooperative farmers.