Influence of infrastructures on agricultural extension service visitations in Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined the influence of infrastructures on agricultural extension service visitations in Niger State, Nigeria. To achieve the study objectives, multistage sampling technique was used to randomly select 152 respondents for the study, using validated interview schedule with reliability coefficient of 0.79. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression model. Result showed that the mean age of the respondents was 58years, while the mean household size of the respondents was 6 persons. Findings indicated that radio signals, schools and motorable roads were the common infrastructural facilities available in the study area. The result further revealed that infrastructural facilities such as motorable roads, research institutes, telecommunication networks and electricity supplies had significant influence on extension service visitations in the study area. Therefore, it was recommended that rural telecommunication infrastructures should be provided by telecommunication companies to facilitate access to agricultural information and communication between stakeholders in agricultural extension service delivery. It was also suggested that agencies like National Fadama Development Project and Rural Access and Mobility Project should provide more feeder roads to open-up rural areas and ease transportation or movements of village essential service providers.