Job satisfaction of extension agents towards innovation dissemination to fish farmers in Lagos state, Nigeria.

Abstract

The study assessed job satisfaction of extension agents towards innovation dissemination to fish farmers in Lagos State, Nigeria. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 44 extension officers from which data were collected. A structured questionnaire consisting of 6 personal characteristics, 23 management procedure and 29 job satisfaction items were administered to the extension officers. Most of the respondents (68.2%) were males, 95.4% were married with mean age of 38 years and 53.6% had HND/BSc as their highest educational qualification. Furthermore, 42.4% had spent 6 to 10 years on the job. Management procedures experienced were high for concern for implementing policy priorities (93.2%), staff welfare (88.6%), annual performance and record (84.1%), control and discipline of staff (88.6%). From the job satisfaction components, extension agents showed areas for job satisfaction which include rewarding system (mean = 3.57), budgeting (mean = 3.52), identifying farmers‟ problems (mean = 3.48), qualification for job (mean = 3.45), imposing sanctions (mean = 3.45). The results showed that on the average, extension agents were satisfied on their job components. It is recommended that extension agents should be encouraged through incentives to facilitate maximal level of job satisfaction with attendant higher level of innovation dissemination to fish farmers, translating to yield increase.

Keywords: dissemination, extension agents, fish farmers, job satisfaction, innovation