Rural extension service delivery and participation among smallholder farmers in Amathole district, South Africa.

Abstract

Assisting farmers to recognize and evaluate their production hitches and become abreast of the inherent prospects for perfection has been the focus of rural extension services. A total of 70 farmers were selected and interviewed using quantitative methods of data collection. The objectives of the study were to examine the methods commonly used to deliver community extension service and to determine the preferred delivery method as perceived by selected farmers. Education was the most significant predictor (p-value of 0.002) and positively related to rural extension delivery service. This result suggests that, for every unit increase in the level of education, there is a 0.155 increase in the log odds for participation in rural extension service. Study results also revealed that farmers’ participation is enhanced when rural extension officers use farm visits. The study concluded on the need of adopting farm visit in extension service delivery.