Extension Service Needs of Female Fluted Pumpkin Farmers in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

Fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) is a staple food and an income-generating crop for many rural households, contributing to both nutritional and economic well-being. For female fluted pumpkin farmers, access to tailored agricultural extension services is crucial to improving their productivity and ensuring that they can contribute fully to agricultural development. This study evaluated the extension service needs of female fluted pumpkin farmers in Ikwerre LGA of Rivers State. The study was conducted with 120 respondents employing a multistage sampling procedure involving three sampling techniques. The data collected from the questionnaires were analysed using descriptive statistics, and Pearson correlation analysis was used to test the study. The socio-economic characteristics revealed that the majority of the farmers (42.5%) were between the ages of 35 and 44 years. Most of the farmers were married (79.2%) and lacked formal education, with 49.2% having no formal education and only 6.6% possessed tertiary education. For sources of agricultural information, the study found that only 16.7% of the respondents received their information from extension agents, reflecting an inadequate reach of formal agricultural extension services. The primary sources of information were local markets and traders (98.3%), peer farmers and neighbouring farms (95.8%), and farm input suppliers (82.5%). For the extension needs of the female fluted pumpkin farmers, access to credit was the most pressing need, with a mean value of 3.4. Other significant extension needs included training on pest and disease management (mean=3.0), developing and managing cooperatives (mean = 3.0), and strategies for coping with climate change (mean = 3.0). For constraints faced by the farmers, lack of funding was identified as the most significant challenge, with a mean score of 3.4, followed closely by the high cost of agricultural inputs (mean = 3.3) and poor road and transportation infrastructure (mean = 3.3). The analysis shows perfect positive correlation (Pearson correlation = 1.000) between the challenges female farmers face and their need for agricultural extension services, with significance level p=0.000. The study concludes that addressing the extension needs of the female pumpkin leaf farmers will alleviate the constraints they face. Recommendations are that the government should expand access to credit and financial facilities, strengthen agricultural extension services, enhance educational opportunities and promote climate-smart agriculture.