Restructuring Agricultural Extension Practice for Improved Productivity and Livelihoods Among Cocoa Farmers in Osun State (Published)
Cocoa production remained a major livelihood activity in Osun State, Nigeria, however, the level of productivity and household welfare among cocoa farmers are significantly low due to ineffective agricultural extension service delivery. Hence, this study examined the effect of restructuring agricultural extension practices on cocoa productivity and livelihood improvement among cocoa farmers in Osun State. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select 240 cocoa farmers from major cocoa-producing local government areas. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. Results revealed that restructured extension practices had positive and statistically significant effect on cocoa productivity (R² = 0.62, p = 0.000), and on farmers’ livelihoods, (R² = 0.58, p = 0.000). The study concludes that restructuring agricultural extension practices is essential for improving cocoa productivity and livelihoods, and thus recommends increased public and private investment in extension services, adoption of participatory and ICT-enabled extension approaches, and strengthened institutional collaboration to ensure sustainable cocoa sector development
Keywords: ICT, Livelihood, Productivity, Restructuring, extension practice