International Journal of Agricultural Science Research and Technology in Extension and Education Systems
Volume:3 Issue: 1, Mar 2013

This study examined the accuracy between extension professionals and farmers regarding their perceptions of privatization and commercialization of agricultural extension services. The study was carried out in Delta State, Nigeria and it had a sample size of 224 respondents comprising of 134 extension professionals of the Delta State Agricultural Programme (DTADP) and 90 farmers that were randomly selected. Data for the study were collected from the respondents through the use of validated questionnaire and interview schedule. The questionnaire was used for the extension professionals, while the interview schedule was used for the farmers. Spearman‟s rank order correlation coefficient was used to determine the accuracy in perceptions of respondents. Results of the study show that extension professionals estimated farmers‟ perception with a high degree of accuracy (r = 0.80 ), while farmers estimated extension professionals‟ perception with low accuracy (r = 0.22 ). The inability of farmers to accurately estimate extension professionals‟ perception could be due to differences in their background and knowledge of issues relating to privatization and commercialization of agricultural extension services. The study recommends that farmers‟ knowledge of issues relating to privatization and commercialization should be enhanced through seminars and workshops organized by the appropriate extension agency. [Ajieh , Patrick Chuks. Accuracy of Extension Professionals’ and Farmers’ Perceptions regarding Privatization and Commercialization of Agricultural Extension Services. 

The purpose of study was to identify entrepreneurial personality traits of agricultural students who were studying at Bu-Ali Sina University in 2013 academic year. The study has used a surveying methodology. The study's samples were 150 agricultural students both senior undergraduates and graduates which were selected by a randomized sampling method. Data collection tool was a structured questionnaire which its validity was verified by a group of extension and education professors and experts. The reliability of the questions were tested during a pre-test process using a Cronbach's alpha test and it was 0.85 (α=0.85). According to the results the trait "internal control" was the most important entrepreneurial characteristic of the agricultural students. The results showed a significant difference between entrepreneurial personality traits of both senior agricultural students in third and fourth year of their education. However, the results showed no significant difference between the agricultural students in the graduated and undergraduates levels in terms of their entrepreneurial personality traits. The results also showed a strong difference between the agricultural students at different agricultural fields of education according to their entrepreneurial personality traits. [Movahedi, R., Jalilian, S and Armand, S. Entrepreneurial Personality Traits of Agricultural Students. International Journal of Agricultural Science, Research and Technology in Extension and Education Systems, 2013; 3(1):7-12].

This study is a survey research. The population of the study was all specialists who have enough data about ways of sustainability rice cultivars that they were identified and studied through Non-probability sampling (purposeful and snowball). To determine the validity of the questionnaire, face and content validity was used, and, to assess the reliability, inconsistency coefficient was used. In order to achieve the main objective the technique of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used. The Expert Choice (EC) 2000 software was used to analyze the data. The application requirement of Analytic Hierarchy Process technique is considering the criteria sustainability of rice cultivation system, on the one hand, and decision alternatives (rice cultivars) on the other hand. Research findings showed that the cultivar of Hashemi is the most suitable cultivar for ecological sustainability of rice cultivation system.

This study focuses on the level of suffering from social problems and tests the moderator role of community size in relation with suffering from social problems. Our study was conducted in Gharbia governorate, Egypt. Two contrasting villages were chosen as the highest and lowest on Human Development Index (HDI). A purposive sample of inhabitants in the age category 18-40 years was chosen. Sample persons were interviewed using a structured interview schedule. Measures of suffering from 13 common social problems were constructed. T-test and factor analysis were employed in data analysis. Results showed that community size had a clear moderator effect on suffering from eight social problems, but had trivial moderator effect on suffering from the other five social problems. The output of factor analysis yielded basically the same four factors; the order of those factors was different in the two villages. We recommend that rural development projects may have different priorities for rural communities of different size

The main purpose of this study was to explore the factors affecting optimal management of agricultural water in Hamadan's area. The statistical population of the study included all Hamadan's farmers. A number of 148 farmers were selected randomly through a proportional sampling method in two phases. Both questionnaire and interview techniques were used in order to collect data. The empirical and face validity of the questionnaire was verified by a panel of experts consisting of faculty members and natural resources specialists. The questionnaires’ reliability was tested by Cronbach’s Alpha technique and it was 91% (α= 0.91). In addition to quantitative methodology such as descriptive statistics and factor analysis a qualitative methodology was employed for dynamic simulation among variables through Vensim software. In this study, factor analysis technique was used through the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) and Bartlett tests. From the results, four key elements were identified as factors affecting the optimal management of agricultural water in Hamedan area. These factors were institutional and legal factors, technical and knowledge factors, economic factors and social factors.

This research covered three villages in Kura local Government Area of Kano State. The study described the socio-economic characteristics of maize producers and their production techniques and also determined the profitability and resource use efficiency in the maize production. Structured questionnaires were used for primary data collection and 40 small scale producers were purposively selected base based on the scale of operation. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as percentage, mean, frequency distribution table; net farm income and multiple regression models. The results of this study show that 62.5% of maize producers are young with age ranging from 25 to 34 years. Also 82.5% are married. About 78% of them have 1 to 9 number of dependent whereas 22.5% have 10-19 numbers of dependents. Majority (82.5%) of the farmers practiced farming as their major occupation mainly as a source of income and food. About 85% of these producers operate with less than 2 ha of land. The average total return per hectare of maize is in the area was estimated at N178397.30, average total cost of production is N 82,461 per hectare and average profit per hectare is N95, 936.30. Thus result revealed that maize production enterprise is profitable in the study area. The study recommends interventions by Governmental and Non Governmental Organizations in improving maize production in the study area. [Ahmed, A. S., Suleiman, A and Aminu, A. Social and Economical Analysis of Small Scale Maize Production in Kura Local Government Area of
Kano State, Nigeria. International Journal of Agricultural Science, Research and Technology in Extension and Education Systems, 2013; 3(1):37-43]

This study was carried out to evaluate the Ekiti State Social Security Scheme (ESSSS) in Nigeria. Specifically, the study estimated the food security status of the beneficiaries and non beneficiaries of the scheme, assessed the effect of the social security scheme on households’ food security status, and identified the constraints to the implementation of the scheme in the state. A three stage random sampling technique was employed to select 200 respondents for the study using a well structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Head Count Ratio (HCR), Food Insecurity Gap (FIG) and Squared Food Insecurity Gap (SFIG) indices, T- test analysis, 5– point Likert type scale and the logistic regression model were the major analytical tools employed for the study. The result of the analysis showed that income from cash transfer make up about 45% of the total income of the benefiting households. Whereas about 39% of the sampled benefiting households were food insecure, the proportion of the non-beneficiaries that were food insecure was as much as 60%. The result of the logistic regression model revealed that access to the social security scheme, gender, marital status and total monthly income of the household were statistically significant and in explaining the food security status of the household. Corruption and political interference were identified as the most important constraints to the programme in the study area. The study recommends that the government should try as much as possible to increase the number of old people benefiting from the programme. [Babatunde, R. O et al. Ekiti State Social Security Scheme (ESSSS) and its Effect on Food Security in Ekiti State, Nigeria. International Journal of Agricultural Science, Research and Technology in Extension and Education Systems, 2013; 3(1):45-52]

The study assessed the quantity and value of food crop outputs of the gender categories in the Anambra state. At this research estimated the quantity and energy content of food stuffs consumed as well as required by each gender headed households, estimated the extent and magnitude of food security and insecurity in the area among the gender categories and examined the determinants of food security in the area among household categories. The samples were drawn from a stratified population which was divided into two gender-headed household categories so as to ensure a homogenous population. Data were collected using questionnaire and interview schedule from 3 communities which were selected using purposive sampling method. Two villages were selected from each of the communities. Ten respondents which comprises of 5 males and 5 females were randomly selected from each village, thus giving a sample size of 60 respondents (30males and 30females) used for the study. Data were analyzed with the use of descriptive and inferential statistics. Logistic regression was used to correlate the food security status and socio-economic features of the various gender-headed households. The result shows that the male-headed households produced 5077.17 kg of food crops output as against the female-headed households’ 2733.27 kg. Also the male-headed households required 1183.50 kilocalories (Kcal) energy worth of food crops daily to be food secure but consumed 2246.90kcal. This implies that they are food secure since the Kcal consumed was greater than required. The female-headed households, on the other hand, required 1161.90kcal daily but consumed 684.72kcal. This implies that the female-headed households are less food secure than male-headed households in the state. Those factors found to affect the food security status of households in the area should be emphasized for effective policy intervention strategy. [Onyemauwa, N. E et al. Gender Differentials in Food Output and Food Security in Anambra State Southeast Nigeria. International Journal of Agricultural Science, Research and Technology in Extension and Education Systems, 2013; 3(1):53-59]