The Role of Women in Agricultural Extension Services: A Case Study of Gusau, Local Government Area, Zamfara State, Nigeria

Abstract

The major objective of this paper is to investigate the role of women in agricultural extension services in Gusau Local Government Area, Zamfara State, Nigeria. The paper identified the extent of women participation in agricultural extension work and analyses the impact of extension services in the study area. Various problems were identified that was responsible to non involvement of women in agricultural activities in the study are. A total sample of ninety (90) respondents was selected out of the three (03) wards representing half of the Local Government Area. The major conclusions drawn from this paper were the inputs and transportation facilities. Apart from extension services, women undertake other agricultural activities such as crop production, livestock production, processing and storage of agricultural products. The major constraints to rural women non participation in agricultural extension service was lack of the government support, language barrier, religious bias and illiteracy. Therefore, in view of the above Null Hypothesis Ho accepted and alternate Hypothesis Ha is rejected. It is recommended that local leadership should encourage women to register for adult literacy programme so as to uplift the literacy level in the study area. Extension workers should regularly visit women farmers so as to teach them extension message coming from Research Institutes. Monitoring, evaluation and supervision of extension staff is necessary to improve extension services for rural farmers.