Willingness to Pay for Private Extension Services among Yam Farmers in Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed the willingness to pay for private extension services among yam farmers in Nassarawa State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 295 respondents. An interview schedule was used to obtain data, which were analyzed using percentages and chi-square statistics. A significant majority (72.20%) of yam farmers are willing to pay for private extension services, with a willingness to pay, significantly associated with education (X² = 12.1; p < 0.001), income (X² = 14.5; p < 0.001), access to credit (X² = 16.3; p < 0.001), age (X² = 4.2; p < 0.05), marital status (X² = 3.8; p < 0.05), and membership of association (X² = 4.5; p < 0.05). The findings also highlight the crucial role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and private sources in providing extension services, with 55.25% and 40.68% of farmers receiving services from these sources, respectively. In contrast, only 4.07% of farmers received extension information from government sources, indicating a gap in government-led extension service delivery. The study recommends strengthening government extension service delivery systems, collaboration with NGOs and private sources and targeted extension programs to improve yam production and sustainability.