Leadership Effectiveness among Farmers’ Self-Help Groups in Central Agricultural Zone of Delta State, Nigeria and Its Implication for Improved Agricultural Extension Service

This study was conducted in Delta Central Agricultural Zone to determine the effectiveness of the leadership of farmers’ self-help groups through attendance to meetings, regularity in the payment of dues and participation in group activities. Farmers’ groups are ubiquitous, yet the level of production among farmers is still inadequate. Seven of the registered farmers groups were randomly selected. Ten percent (10%) of the members of each selected group were also randomly selected to give 68 respondents that were used for the study. Primary data were collected from the respondents with the use of questionnaire and interview schedule while secondary data were collected from the records of the selected farmers’ groups. Data collected were subjected to statistical analysis by using mean derived from 4-point Likert-type scale, frequency counts and percentages. The hypotheses were addressed with the use of Pearson correlation. Leaderships were rated low in qualities of leaders and were found to be fairly effective creating access to credit, organizing group for price determination and direct sale of produce to consumers. Generally the performance of the members was poor as they did not attend meetings regularly as their mean percentage attendance to meetings was 39.89% and the percentage difference in membership due payment between the year 2002 and the year 2011was -13.19%. Owing to this, leadership performance is considered as being generally ineffective. The implication for extension delivery service is that regular training should be organized for leadership of farmers’ groups. It was therefore recommended that such training should include democratic fixation of days and time for meetings as it is in the constitution of the group, access to cheap inputs should be created, collective price determination needs to be done and the need to sell produce directly to consumers should be addressed.