No abstract

Over two-thirds of the world's poorest people are located in rural areas and engaged primarily in agriculture and agricultural-related activities for their livelihood. Therefore, the future of most underdeveloped and developing nations depends on agriculture. Most African Countries have agricultural dependent economies that are hinged to rain-fed agriculture and based on smallholdings. These countries are referred to as countries with emerging economies and characterized as having low to middle per capita income and represent 20% of the world's economies. This chapter discusses; concepts of agricultural extension methodologies assessed from past to present, appropriating extension methodologies to encourage agricultural development, identifying roles of agricultural extension activities in agricultural development and factors influencing the choice of appropriate extension methodologies in emerging economies. It concludes with the constraints to sustainable agricultural development and extension methodologies which if removed will have the potential for progression towards economy development. Developing countries should fashion a sustainable extension system that will be socially acceptable and culturally compatible, economically viable and environmentally friendly.

Purpose: Agricultural extension graduates do not get jobs and farmers are not getting agricultural extension services, and therefore, both the farmers and agricultural graduates do not receive benefi ts. The study assessed the interest of agricultural extension students in providing private extension services to farmers, examined their perception towards private extension services and identifi ed extension skills possessed by the students. Research Method: The study comprised all the fi nal year students in the Universities in Osun State. A two-stage sampling procedure was used to select the respondents. One university was selected from each category of federal, state and private. A total of 68 respondents were selected and interviewed. Data collected were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings: The results show that the mean age, mean years of formal education of the respondents were 23.75 ± 2.02 and 17.40 ± 1.16, respectively. About half (51.5%) of the respondents had positive perception towards the private extension service while 57 percent had high interest in providing private extension services. Majority of them possessed teaching skills (97.1%), innovation dissemination skills (95.5%) and communication skills (88.2%). Also, sources of agricultural information available (χ2=22.448), types of sponsors (χ2=6.102) and marital status (χ2=16.535) had a signifi cant association with respondents' interest in providing private agricultural extension services. Research Limitation: The study focuses on the interest of agricultural extension graduates to provide private extension services; however, these graduates may have an interest in other areas that have not been investigated.

No abstract

The study assessed fish farmers' attitude towards agricultural insurance scheme (AIS) in Ondo State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was adopted to select the respondents for the study. Data were obtained through questionnaire and were analysed using descriptive statistics and mean score from a five point Likert type of scale. The study showed the mean age of fish farmers to be 44.6±10.1years and the majority (83.4%) were married. The mean household size was 5±2 and about 96% were able to read and write. The mean years of fish farming experience was 13.54 and all of them were smallholders. More than half (57.3%) of the respondents had neutral attitude, 23.7 per cent had favourable attitude while 19 per cent had unfavourable attitude towards AIS. They perceived that insurance belongs to God and not any insurance company (μ= 1.8) and that small scale farmer do not really need to insure their farms, (μ= 1.8). The study recommended that the respondents should be empowered to increase their scale of fish production as this might change their attitude to the scheme. Also, government should re-subsidize agricultural insurance to enable serious farmers afford the premium. 107 might change their attitude to the scheme. NAIC should readily indemnify an insured farmer whenever there is disaster.