Public Agricultural Extension Agents' Knowledge of the Concept of E-Extension in Ogun State, Nigeria

Agricultural extension practice worldwide has shifted towards the use of information communication technologies (ICTs) for agricultural information sourcing and delivery but its integration in this part of the world is still very minimal. This study assessed extension agents’ knowledge of the concept of e-extension in Ogun State Agricultural Development Programme. A total of 51 agricultural extension agents were randomly selected from the sample frame 59 extension agents using Taro Yamane’s formula. Primary data were obtained through a structured questionnaire from extension agents. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square and linear regression. Results reveal that the mean age, years of work experience and monthly income of the respondents were; 36.6 years, 8 years and N88,137.25k respectively. Majority (74.5%) of the respondents were male, 72.5% were married while 64.7% had a Bachelor of Science. The main e-extension services the respondents were aware of were; short messaging service (96.1%), emails (88.2%) and farmers’ contact center (86.3%). Most (86.3%) of the extension agents were knowledgeable about the concept of e-extension with meetings and training (x̅ =1.82 respectively) being the major sources of information about e-extension. Sources of information on the concept of e-extension (β= 0.162, p=0.019) and level of education of the extension agents (β=-0.578 p=0.030) significantly influenced knowledge of the concept of e-extension. It was concluded that the respondents were knowledgeable about the concept of e-extension with a recommendation that the Nigerian agricultural technology transfer policy should emphasize the use of e-extension services coupled with more training on integrating this concept into the extension service delivery systems.