Overview of the Role of Agricultural Extension in West Africa
Imagine a scenario where there is abundant food, no food importation, where farmers use modern methods, techniques, and innovation of farming, better access to financial assistance, effective extension service delivery, proper research farming to improve production, and availability of farm inputs to farmers in West Africa.
The effectiveness of extension services to farmers and government contributions to farming in West Africa is necessary for increasing food production.
Proper research findings from the agricultural research institute, the use of modern farming techniques, and the availability of farm input will help promote agricultural development.
Agricultural development will not be possible without agricultural extension teaching modern systems and techniques, and adopting a better farming system accounts for the roles of agricultural extension in West Africa.
Farming in West Africa has been characterized by traditional farming methods and techniques that have led to low food productivity, importation, dwindling economic development, and operating small hectares of farmland.
The presence of agricultural extension agents can upturn these ugly indices occurring in West African farming.
Read Also: Top 12: Qualities of an Extension Worker You Are Aware Of
Roles of Agricultural Extension in West Africa
The roles of agricultural extension in West Africa’s agricultural development cannot be overemphases in increasing productivity and farmer’s standard of living, Some of these roles are :
Linkages Between Researchers and Farmers
The agricultural extension agents carry innovations and findings from research institutions to farmers to help them with information and techniques to improve productivity.
Normally extension agents target farmers with whom they educate with the technologies from research institutions to increase yield.
This role of agricultural extension in West Africa helps to strengthen the linkages between researchers and farmers.
Improved Farming Methods, Techniques, and Innovation
Agricultural Extension plays a crucial role in Providing opportunities for farmers to adopt improved farming methods, techniques, and innovation.
Better farming methods, techniques, and innovations in agriculture are necessary to increase yield and productivity. Proper recruitment and mobilization of extension agents are to teach farmers these modern methods and techniques of farming.
Traditional farming system practices by most West African farmers are characterized by poor yield, susceptibility to pests and disease infestation, and poor market value of produce, which result in food importation and food insecurity in West Africa.
Two-Way Line of Communication Between Policy Makers and Farmers
Agricultural Extension Serves as a way line of communication between policymakers and farmers in West Africa.
Agricultural extension serves as an avenue to communicate the problem of farmers to policymakers so that they can make better policies that will increase food productivity.
Extension provides the communication lines where the farmer’s issues are taken to policymakers, and the solution is presented to the farmers.
This role of agricultural extension helps in the agricultural development in West Africa.
Help Farmers to be Aware of Support Services
This is another role of agricultural extension in West Africa’s agricultural development
Assistance to farmers includes financial support, and farm inputs such as fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides usually get the farmers through an agricultural extension program.
It is through the Extension program that farmers get to be aware of the support services available to them.
Boost farmers’ Competence and Confidence in Confronting their Farming Difficulties.
Agricultural extension services to farmers empower them to become competent and confident to confront their farming problems at the individual level.
Extension teaching services to farmers inculcate in them the ability, skills, and competency to improve their farming methods.
Intensive extension services to farmers increase their intellectual capacity to identify farming problems relating to their crops and animal farming.
These roles of agricultural extension in West Africa’s agricultural development are necessary to ensure that farmers solve their problems themselves without bothering the extension station at all times.
Supervision and Evaluation of Agricultural Development Programme
Agricultural extension delivery systems cannot be effective without proper supervision and evaluation.
This role of agricultural extension in West Africa’s agricultural development helps in the directing and appraising of agricultural development programs.
Poor monitoring of extension farming programs will lead to poor adoption of innovations and failure of agricultural programs.
Assessing and monitoring are necessary for practicing modern innovations and techniques that boost food productivity and farmers’ standard of living.
Help Farmers to Identify Better Marketing Channel
One of the problems confronting farmers is marketing channels where they can sell their farming produce at high prices.
Since most farmers domicile in a rural area where their road is not accessible, this makes the farmers sell their produce immediately after production.
Helping farmers to identify better marketing channels where farmers can sell their produce at high returns is another of agricultural extension agents.
Better Marketing channels where the farmer will trade their produce the profit margin.
Helps to improve farmers’ Standard of Living
Helping farmers adopt better farming methods, approaches, and innovations that will increase productivity and improve farmers’ standards of living.
Assisting farmers to assimilate information and technology that will increase the farmer’s living standard plays a Crucial role in Agricultural Extension in West Africa’s agricultural development.
Rural Development Programme
This role of agricultural extension in West Africa helps in gathering and compiling basic information relating to rural development programs in West Africa.
Agricultural Extension has a model for assessing and measuring the stage of rural development across West African countries.
These models help to collect and collate basic information about rural life and check rural development programs.
Conducts and organizes training for Farmers /Educates the Farmers
Agricultural extension agents help to conduct and arrange training for farmers on how to increase better farming management practices that will lift them out of poverty and improve their standard of living.
Agricultural extension is an adult education program skillfully structured to educate farmers on better farming methods.
Implementation of an Auxiliary Program
This Role of Agricultural Extension in West Africa in agricultural development requires the extension agents to Help farmers organize and implement an auxiliary program such as the formation of cooperatives, and young farmers’ clubs.
In conclusion.
The West African agricultural certain has been subsistence due to inadequate extension workers or personnel which have limited food productivity and low standard of living among farmers.
The role of agricultural extension in West Africa mentioned above will help farmers boost productivity and increase the standard their standard of living.