Assessment of Smallholder Farmers’ Participation in Agricultural Extension Program: The Case of

Abstract

The current government of Ethiopia claims that effective agricultural extension service contributes for the improvement of smallholder farmers’ productivity and production. Despite multiple interwoven factors hinder smallholder farmers to participate in the agricultural extension program. Thus, this study aimed to assess the smallholder farmers’ participation in the agricultural extension Program by investigating the current status, level and determinants of participation through analysis of socioeconomic and institutional constraints in SNNPR, Gammo Gofa zone, in Chencha woreda. A mix of explanatory and descriptive research design was conducted. The primary data was collected from 279 household heads, 14 key informants and 4 focus group discussions from four selected kebeles of Chencha woreda. Thus, descriptive analysis (Chi-square and t-test), cross tabulation and logit model were used to analyze the data. The result indicates that the majority 160 (57.3%) of sampled household heads were found to be symbolic participants; followed 116 (41.6%) of non participants as compared to 3(1.1%) of genuine participants. Moreover, result illustrates that educational status and information access were found to have a positive influence on household heads’ status of participation. Whereas sex, labour availability, prevalence of problem with transportation and market access, prevalence of problem with extension personnel at kebele and prevalence of problem within farmers group and organization were found to have a negative influence on household heads’ status of participation. The result implies that lot needs to be done to improve the level of participation in the agricultural extension program through providing better support services in the form of technical advice and discussion, training and listening to their opinions and enable them to use improved technologies like fertilizer and seed.