Participation of Rice Farmers in Research Outputs Dissemination Activities in Katcha Local Government Area, Niger State

Abstract

The study examined the level of rice farmers’ participation in extension activities for disseminating research outputs, analysed perceptions of the relevance and effectiveness of research outputs disseminated, and identified constraints to the dissemination of research outputs by farmers. Quantitative data were obtained from 111 rice farmers through a multistage sampling procedure. Correlation analysis was used to test the relationship between constraints to dissemination and participation in research output dissemination. The results revealed that for relevance, the response with the highest mean was “addresses specific challenges” ( =2.17±0.96). For effectiveness, the highest mean was recorded by “improved understanding of soil fertility and nutrient management” ( =2.24±1.02). Respondents mostly participated in training (  =3.94) and group meetings (  =3.87). The main constraints to dissemination were low motivation (  =3.73) and poor communication of extension programme time (  =3.73). Low motivation (r = −0.96, p = 0.00) and inadequate number of farmers as extension agents (r = −0.14, p = 0.04) had a negative significant relationship with participation. The study recommended the decentralization of extension programmes to communities to enhance farmers’ participation.