DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AND EXTENSION SERVICES

Agriculture remains a crucial sector in Nigeria, yet youth engagement in this field has witnessed a decline in recent years. This study was conducted to examine the perception of secondary school students towards Young Farmers Clubs (YFCs) in Egor Local Government Area, Edo State, Nigeria. The research investigates various factors influencing students' attitudes towards joining YFCs, particularly focusing on gender differences. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 125 respondents for the study The first stage involved a purposive selection of five (5) schools in the study area. The second stage involved a proportional sampling of 25% of student from each school giving a total of 125 respondents. Data were collected using structured questionnaire. Data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results showed that a majority of both male (66.7%) and female (67.9%) students fell within the mid-teenage age range of 15-16 years. Class distribution within YFCs showed that male students predominantly occupied the Senior Secondary School Two class (60.9%), while female students were distributed more evenly across the Senior Secondary School classes. Analysis of YFC activities demonstrated varying participation rates between genders, with 79.7% of males and 94.6% of females identifying several activities they performed, primarily soil and environment conservation. Notably, 39.16% of males and 8.9% of females participated in fish farming. Reasons for joining YFCs also varied between genders, with males emphasizing personal interest (4.15) and academic improvement (3.55), while females prioritized academic enhancement (3.26) and participation in study trips and agricultural shows (4.72)

This study focused on the uses and abuses of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools among final year students in Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin, Edo State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to: describe the socioeconomic characteristics of final year students in faculty of agriculture; identify the AI tools that the respondents were aware of; identify the interest in the use of AI tools among the respondents; ascertain the use and frequency of use of AI tools among the respondents; identify the purpose of use of AI tools by the respondents; identify the perceived abuses of AI tools by the respondents and examine the constraints in the use of AI tools by the respondents. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used for a simple random sampling of 145 final year students in faculty of agriculture for the study. Primary data were collected through the use of structured questionnaire. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as: frequency counts, simple percentages and mean scores, as well as inferential statistics such as Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). Results showed that more than half (64.1%) of the respondents were female with a mean 23 years. Most (99.3%) of the students were single. The result showed that most (90.3%) of the final year students were aware of ChatGPT, with more than half (61.4%) of the students showing interest in using it (ChatGPT). Most (99.3%) of the final-year students used ChatGPT and also indicated daily usage. The result showed that most 14 (89.7%) of the final-year students used artificial intelligence (AI) tools for writing assignments. The results also showed that the most significant perceived abuse of artificial intelligence tools by final year students was use of AI tools to answer test or examination questions (x̄=3.46) and the most significant constraints encountered was the requirement for paid subscriptions for most AI tools (x̄= 3.75). It was concluded that most widely used AI tool by the final year students was ChatGPT, while the use of AI tools to answer test or examination questions was identified as the most significant perceived abuse of AI tools by the respondents. The study therefore recommends that the faculty strengthen academic integrity measures and sensitize students on the ethical use of AI tools, especially discouraging their use for tests and examinations.

The study analyzed the profitability of oil palm Fresh Fruit Bunch (FFB) production in Uhunmwonde Local Government Area, Edo State, Nigeria. The study specifically described the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents in the study area, estimated the inputs and output quantities of oil palm FFB production in the study area, estimated the costs and returns of oil palm FFB production and its profitability at different ages of the palms in the study area, examined the factors affecting profitability of oil palm FFB production in the study area and identified the constraints faced by respondents in the study area. A two-stage sampling procedure was adopted in selecting the respondents for the research. A Total 109 copies of questionnaire were sent to the field to collect primary data and 70 copies were retrieved and data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and quantitative techniques. Result study showed that the oil palm produces were mainly male (71.4%), with a mean age of about 48 years and formal educational background. Oil palm FFB was found to be most profitable at the age range of 9-18years with an estimated Net Farm Income of N881644.71 per hectare. and there was profit for palm younger than 8 years at the Gross Margin level with an estimated gross margin of N253619.18 but the net income was negative meaning a loss in the long run

This study examined the acquisition and utilization of agricultural credits by poultry farmers in edo south agroecological zone of Edo state. The specific objectives were to examine the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents in the study area, to examine the major sources and amount of agricultural credit to poultry farmers in the study area, to ascertain the uses in which the accessed credit was put into in the study area, compare production level and profitability between beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of credit in the study area. Other objectives were to identify the determinant to the access and utilization to credit of poultry farmers as well as to examine the constraints faced by poultry farmers in acquiring and utilizing
agricultural credit. A three stage selection technique was employed in this study. Data for this study were obtained from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data were obtained through the use of
structured questionnaire administered through interview schedule to one hundred and twenty (120) randomly selected respondents from the study area and ninety-six (96) were retrieved for analysis. Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics, regression analysis and students' t-test. Results from the descriptive statistic showed that majority of the respondents were male (65.6%), and large percentage were married (53.1%). The mean age and mean household size were 42.0 years and 4.5 members respectively. The result also showed 95.9% of the respondents had between primary to tertiary education, while about 4.1% had no formal education. The result also
showed that majority (79.1%) of poultry farmers had other source of income. The result showed that 93.8% of the poultry farmers in the study area had years of experience between 0 to 10 years. The results showed that minority (31.3%) of the poultry farmers in the study have benefitted from agricultural credit at an average amount of N159,166.67, mostly from cooperatives and that credit acquired was used for agricultural production activities with feed being the most
utilized for at 63.5% with a mean amount of N109,600.00. The credit utilized had significant effect (difference is at a level of 5% using the t-test) on the production level and profitability of the beneficiaries. Result from the multiple regression analysis revealed that age, education level and marital status were significant predictors of farmers to acquire agricultural credit. The problems encountered by the farmers in acquiring credit included high interest rates, lack of collateral and demand for guarantor amongst others. The significance of acquired credit on the production level and profitability of beneficiaries of credits further reveals its importance in the production activities of small scale farmers and as such efforts should be made by the
government and non-institutional sources to ensure that rural farmers have access to adequate credit facilities in order to increase their farm income.

This study assessed the delivery of gender-responsive agricultural extension services to rural women cassava farmers in Esan West Local Government Area, Edo State, Nigeria. Specifically, it examined the socio-economic characteristics of the women farmers, their awareness of and access to extension services, adoption of improved cassava practices, and challenges encountered in farming. A total of 100 rural women cassava farmers were selected using a purposive sampling and stratified sampling technique and data were collected through structured questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions, supplemented by secondary sources from literature and official reports. Findings revealed that 18.37% of respondents were less than 30 , 77.55% of respondents were within the age range 30-40, 4.08% of respondents were within the age range 40-50 ,with an average household size of 5.07% and average farming experience of (4.14%). While 35.7% were aware of extension services, only 29.59% had regular contact with extension agents. Key constraints identified included limited access to female extension personnel, credit facilities, farm equipment, and digital tools. Socio-economic factors such as age, education, and marital status significantly influenced access to extension services. The study recommends strengthening gender-responsive extension approaches, increasing the recruitment of female extension agents, improving access to credit and digital platforms, and implementing community-based participatory programs to enhance productivity and livelihoods of rural women cassava farmers.

This study analyzed the profitability of maize production in Orhionwon Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. The research specifically examined the socio - economic characteristics of maize farmers, estimated production costs and returns, identified factors influencing profitability, and documented constraints faced by producers. A multi - stage sampling technique was employed to select 100 cassava farmers from five major farming communities in the local government area. Primary data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Gross margin analysis, multiple regression analysis and likert scale ranking. Findings revealed that maize production in the area is dominated by small - scale farmers with 43% respondents between 19-40 years, 40% within 41-60 years and 17% above 60, with 52% male and 48% female, average farm size of 1.9 hectares, and relatively high educational attainment. Budgetary analysis showed the enterprise to be profitable with a gross margin of N617,702.44 and net profit of N544,730.44, Regression results identified farm size, yield and fertilizer cost as significant positive determinants of profitability, Major production constraints included insecurity, high labor costs, insufficient funds. This study concludes that maize production remains a profitable enterprise in the study area. Recommendations include improve access to quality inputs, enhance 16 extension services, stabilize market prices andencourage youth participation. These interventions would significantly improve the income generation potential of maize production for smallholder farmers in the region

This study examined the adoption of Innovations by small-holders oil palm farmers in Ovia North East local government Area Edo state, Nigeria. This studies specifically examine the socioeconomic characteristics of smallholder oil palm farmers in Ovia North East Local Government Area, Edo State, Nigeria, the agricultural innovations smallholder oil palm farmers were aware of in the area, level of adoption of the innovations by oil palm farmers in the study area, the farmers information sources on oil-palm technologies, motivations for farmers’ adoption of oil palm technologies, constraints affecting the adoption of the innovations among smallholders oil palm farmers.A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 120 smallholders oil palm farmers from six purposively selected communities. Data were collected structural questionnaire, collected data were analysed using descriptive statistic (frequency count, percentage and mean). For the bjectives inferential statistics (multiple regression) was used to test the hypothesis. The results reveals that majority of the farmers in the area were predominantly male (63.33%), (67.5%) of the respondents were aged of 30- 49 years and married (50%). Also (70.83%) of the respondents cultivated a farm size of 1- 3 hectares, With annual income of ₦500,000-₦1,000,000 and had limited access to extension services, the had high awareness to traditional innovations such as pest and diseases managements, soil improvement technique. However, ICT- based Innovative tools, weather predictive information and Mechanized harvesting tools remained low .Adoption for fertilizer (mean = 3.33) and pest and disease practices (mean = 3.18) were relatively high but low for mobile application (mean = 1.45) and mechanized harvesting tools (mean = 1.35). The major motivation for farmers adopt of Innovations included: higher income (100%), fellow farmers/ peer influence (99.17%) and better crop yield (98.32%). The regression results reveals that, there is no significant relationship between most of the socioeconomic characteristics and adoption. However annual ix income (p= 0.0005), access to extension services (p= 0.000) and awareness of agricultural innovations (0.004) had significant influence in the adoption of Innovations. Key constraints were high cost of adoption (99.17%) limited access to credit (98.33%), weak extension services (95.00%), inadequate training opportunity (95.00%), and limited access to modern agricultural. Although response demonstrate readiness to adopt innovations however the limit outreach by extension agents and insufficient supports significantly impeded their adoption of oil palm innovations. This study recommended expanded extension outreach, targeted training programs, access to land, financial supports to increase the level adoption of oil palm innovations among smallholders' oil palm farmers and its productivity.

The catfish industry in Nigeria faces significant challenges including high production cost, low productivity, and limited profitability. Despite its potential, the industry has not fully explored the use of concrete pond for catfish production which could improve efficiency and reduce costs. This study investigated the socio-economic characteristics, profitability, and technical and allocative efficiency of concrete pond catfish production in the Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria, and identified key constraints faced by farmers. Data were collected from 113 concrete pond catfish farmers and analyzed using descriptive statistics, net profit analysis, and the Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) model.

This study aimed at accessing the effectiveness of broadcasting media in disseminating agricultural information to maize farmers in Ovia North-East Local Government Area, Edo state, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to describe the socio-economic characteristics of maize farmers, identify the broadcasting media available and accessible to maize farmers, examine the perceived benefits of broadcasting media utilized, determine the effectiveness
of broadcasting media utilized, and identify constraints faced by maize farmers in the study area. Multi-stage and simple random sampling procedure was used in the selection of 150
respondents for the study. Primary and secondary data were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, percentage, mean, and standard deviation
while the hypotheses were analyzed using Regression analysis. The findings revealed that 50.7% of maize farmers were female while 49.3% were male with a mean age of 48 years. Most (96.7%) of the respondents had access to electricity. Further findings show that broadcasting media was available to majority (61.9%) of the
farmers and not available to a notable minority (38.1%). Also, majority of farmers (60%) perceived broadcast media to be very effective while 40% did not. Major constraints faced by the farmers were, poor network signal coverage (x̄= 3.75), poor power supply (x̄= 3.56). The study recommend that agricultural broadcast programs should be developed by local radios and community TV stations since most rural farmers rely on them by designing programmes for AM/FM thereby enhancing accessibility to broadcasting media

This study examined the perception of final-year students in the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin, toward taking farming as a future livelihood. The study aimed to determine students’ interest in farming, identify factors influencing their perception, assess their attitudes toward farming relative to other career pathways, and highlight key constraints that may hinder them from choosing farming as a livelihood option after graduation. A total of 66 respondents were selected using a proportionate sampling technique, which ensured that each of the six departments was represented according to its share of the 218 final-year students in the faculty. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, and mean) and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The socio-demographic profile revealed that respondents were predominantly male (90.9%), mostly young (87.9% aged 25 and below, with a mean age of 23 years), and single 97%). Most respondents originated from rural communities (63.6%), and exactly half (50%) reported having access to farmland. The findings indicated a generally positive perception of farming, with high mean ratings for statements suggesting that agriculture offers diverse career opportunities (Mean = 4.59), provides sustainable income (Mean = 4.35), and is becoming increasingly attractive due to technological advancements (Mean = 4.54). Students also showed considerable interest in pursuing farming, although their intentions were moderated by structural limitations. Major constraints identified included insufficient start-up capital (Mean = 3.28), limited access to formal credit (Mean = 3.06), inadequate storage facilities (Mean = 3.13), and high input costs (Mean = 3.03). The correlation analysis revealed significant positive relationships between certain socio- economic variables and perception. Residential background (r = 0.298; p = 0.016), access to land (r = 0.312; p = 0.011), and farming experience (r = 0.341; p = 0.005) were all significantly associated with students’ perception of farming as a livelihood, suggesting that rural upbringing, land availability, and exposure to farming enhance positive orientation toward agriculture. Conversely, sex, age, marital status and household size showed no significant effects (p > 0.05). The study concludes that while final-year agriculture students at the University of Benin perceive farming positively, key structural constraints, particularly inadequate capital, limited access to land, and insufficient equipment, must be addressed to encourage their participation in the agricultural sector. It is therefore recommended that policymakers address critical constraints of inadequate capital, limited credit access, insufficient storage facilities, and high input costs hindering graduates' agricultural participation