Problems faced by the crop farmers related to extension services provided by department of agricultural extension in Bangladesh

Saifur Rahman, Mohammad J. Hoque, Mohammed N. Uddin

Abstract


The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has a long history of providing extension services to Bangladesh's crop farmers. This study attempted to explore the extent of problems that crop farmers faced regarding acquiring the extension services provided by DAE. This study was conducted in three villages of Gauripur Upazila (sub-district) in Mymensingh district, Bangladesh. A face-to-face interview was conducted with 100 sampled farmers for the data collection on a pre-tested and structured interview schedule. The key variable, named as the extent of problems was measured using a 4-point rating scale. Both enter and step-wise regression models were employed on the data. Results indicated that half of the respondents faced a moderate level of problems while 40% faced a high level of problems. The extension workers' poor communication skill was the most critical issue, followed by insufficient resources and maintaining contact with resource-rich farmers as perceived by the respondents. Crop farmers' education, perceived economic return, the experience of participating in extension activities, training, and fatalism were significantly associated with the problems faced by them. Education, perceived economic return, the experience of participating in extension activities, and training were discovered to be essential determinants of the degree of problems related to extension services. The study identified several chances for the policymakers to address influential factors for improving crop extension services of DAE. Furthermore, improved coordination and providing crop farmers with need-based training and resources may help mitigate the identified issues. 


Keywords


Agriculture; Advisory service; Constraints; Factors; Extension contact

References


Abid, M., J. Schilling, J. Scheffran and F. Zulfiqar. 2016. Climate change vulnerability, adaptation and risk perceptions at farm level in Punjab, Pakistan. Science of The Total Environment, 547: 447-60.

Afrad, S. I., F. Wadud and S. C. Babu. 2019. Reforms in agricultural extension service system in Bangladesh. Elsevier. Place Published. pp.13-40.

Agbarevo, A. 2013. Farmers’ Perception of Effectiveness of Agricultural Extension Delivery in Cross-River State, Nigeria. IOSR Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Science, 2: 1-7.

Akinnagbe, O. M., O. P. Ezeuzo and E. A. Onwubuya. 2018. Challenges of extension workers in reaching rural women farmers in Enugu State Nigeria. Journal of Agricultural Extension, 21: 22.

Amin, M. A., M. A. Bashar, N. Akhter, M. Afroj, M. Z. Islam, M. M. Rahman and M. A. Baque. 2016. Constraints faced by the farmers in IPM practices in rice cultivation. Journal of Science Technology and Environment Informatics, 4: 245-50.

Arifullah, M., A. Zahan, M. M. Rana, M. Adil and S. Shamsunnaher. 2014. Attitude of the Rural Elite Farmers towards Extension Activities Performed by Personnel of Department of Agricultural Extension. The Agriculturists, 12: 96-102.

Asfaw, S., B. Shiferaw, F. Simtowe and L. Lipper. 2012. Impact of modern agricultural technologies on smallholder welfare: Evidence from Tanzania and Ethiopia. Food Policy, 37: 283-95.

Baig, M. and F. Aldosari. 2013. Agricultural extension in Asia: Constraints and options for improvement. Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences, 23: 619-32.

Baloch, M. A. and G. B. Thapa. 2018. The effect of agricultural extension services: Date farmers’ case in Balochistan, Pakistan. Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences, 17: 282-89.

Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. 2017. Yearbook of agricultural statistics, Statistics and Informatics Division, Ministry of Planning, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Dhaka, Bangladesh. Place Published.

———. 2019. Bangladesh population census. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Planning, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Dhaka.

BBS. 2015. Changing pattern of urbanisation in Bangladesh: An analysis of census data. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), Ministry of Planning, Dhaka. Place Published.

———. 2019. Yearbook of Agricultural Statistics-2018. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), Statistics and Informatics Division(SID), Ministry of Planning, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Dhaka. . Place Published.

Birner, R., A. R. Quisumbing and N. Ahmed. 2010. Cross-cutting issues: Governance and gender. Place Published. pp.26-27.

Bonye, S. Z., K. B. Alfred and G. S. Jasaw. 2012. Promoting community-based extension agents as an alternative approach to formal agricultural extension service delivery in Northern Ghana. Asian Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development, 2: 76-95.

Braun, A. and D. Duveskog. 2011. The Farmer Field School approach–History, global assessment and success stories. Background paper for the IFAD Rural poverty report.

Caffaro, F., M. Micheletti Cremasco, M. Roccato and E. Cavallo. 2020. Drivers of farmers’ intention to adopt technological innovations in Italy: The role of information sources, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use. Journal of Rural Studies, 76: 264-71.

Cakirli Akyüz, N. and L. Theuvsen. 2020. The Impact of Behavioral Drivers on Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Practices: The Case of Organic Farming in Turkey. Sustainability, 12: 6875.

Catalyst III. 2015. Catalyst III Agriculture for growth in Bangladesh, 2015. Annual review, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Place Published.

DAE Manual. 2018. Retrieved from:http://katalyst.com.bd/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/DAE-Manual-English.pdf(Accessed on August 10, 2020). Place Published.

Danso-Abbeam, G., D. S. Ehiakpor and R. Aidoo. 2018. Agricultural extension and its effects on farm productivity and income: insight from Northern Ghana. Agriculture & Food Security, 7.

Davis, K., E. Nkonya, E. Kato, D. A. Mekonnen, M. Odendo, R. Miiro and J. Nkuba. 2012. Impact of Farmer Field Schools on Agricultural Productivity and Poverty in East Africa. World Development, 40: 402-13.

Desai, B. M., E. D'souza, J. W. Mellor, V. P. Sharma and P. Tamboli. 2011. Agricultural policy strategy, instruments and implementation: A review and the road ahead. Economic and Political Weekly: 42-50.

Dev, D. S., M. J. Hoque and A. M. Miah. 2017. Problems Faced by the Participant Farmers in the Training Process: A Case of Climate Risk Management Training in Agriculture. International Journal of Social Sciences, 6: 143.

Elahi, E., M. Abid, L. Zhang, S. ul Haq and J. G. M. Sahito. 2018. Agricultural advisory and financial services; farm level access, outreach and impact in a mixed cropping district of Punjab, Pakistan. Land Use Policy, 71: 249-60.

Elias, A., M. Nohmi and K. Yasunobu. 2017. Cost-Benefit Analysis of Cultivating Three Major Crops and Its Implication to Agricultural Extension Service: A Case Study in North-West Ethiopia. Japanese Journal of Agricultural Economics, 19: 31-36.

Farouque, M. G. and M. A. Sarker. 2018. Farmers knowledge and practice of organic vegetable cultivation: A field level study of two villages from Bangladesh. Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, 10: 99-107.

Fiaz, S., M. A. Noor and F. O. Aldosri. 2018. Achieving food security in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through innovation: Potential role of agricultural extension. Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences, 17: 365-75.

Ganpat, W., N. Webster and L. Narine. 2014. Farmers’ Satisfaction with Extension Services in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education, 21: 49-62.

Hamid, M. I., S. Datta and M. M. Islam. 2020. Problems faced by the sub-assistant agriculture officers (SAAOs) working in department of agricultural extension. Research in Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries, 7: 61-73.

Haq, A. 2011. Some issues of extension contact on rice productivity in Bangladesh. Place Published. pp.16-17.

Haq, A. Z. M. 2013. The Impact Of Agricultural Extension Contact On Crop Income In Bangladesh. Bangladesh Journal of Agricultural Research, 38: 321-34.

Hasan, S., M. Turin, M. Ghosh and M. Khalil. 2017. Assessing Agricultural Extension Professionals Opinion towards Sustainable Agriculture in Bangladesh. Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology, 17: 1-13.

Hasibuan, A. M., D. Gregg and R. Stringer. 2020. Accounting for diverse risk attitudes in measures of risk perceptions: A case study of climate change risk for small-scale citrus farmers in Indonesia. Land Use Policy, 95: 104252.

Hossain, M. and M. Miah. 2011. Poor farmers’ problem confrontation in using manure towards integrated plant nutrition system. Bangladesh Journal of Extension Education, 23: 139-47.

Hu, R., Y. Cai, K. Z. Chen and J. Huang. 2012. Effects of inclusive public agricultural extension service: Results from a policy reform experiment in western China. China Economic Review, 23: 962-74.

Hu, R., Z. Yang, P. Kelly and J. Huang. 2009. Agricultural extension system reform and agent time allocation in China. China Economic Review, 20: 303-15.

Islam, A., M. Farouque and D. Roy. 2013. Problem Confronted by the Fish Farmers in Practicing Semi-intensive Climbing Perch (Anabus testubineus) Farming. Bangladesh Journal of Extension Education ISSN, 1011: 3916.

Karim, S. M. R., S.K. Pal, M.E. Haque, M.H. Rahman and M. Kamruzzaman. 2016. Factors affecting problems faced by the farmers in sugarcane cultivation. Journal of Innovation and Development Strategy, 10: 1-5.

Klerkx, L., F. Landini and H. Santoyo-Cortés. 2016. Agricultural extension in Latin America: current dynamics of pluralistic advisory systems in heterogeneous contexts. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 22: 389-97.

Lobley, M., E. Saratsi, M. Winter and J. Bullock. 2013. Training farmers in agri-environmental management: the case of Environmental Stewardship in lowland England. International Journal of Agricultural Management, 3: 12-20.

Mahmood, N., M. Arshad, H. Kaechele, M. F. Shahzad, A. Ullah and K. Mueller. 2020. Fatalism, Climate Resiliency Training and Farmers’ Adaptation Responses: Implications for Sustainable Rainfed-Wheat Production in Pakistan. Sustainability, 12: 1650.

Mardy, T., M. Uddin, M. Sarker, D. Roy and E. Dunn. 2018. Assessing Coping Strategies in Response to Drought: A Micro Level Study in the North-West Region of Bangladesh. Climate, 6: 23.

Mengal, A., M. Mallah, Z. Mirani and B. Siddiqui. 2012. An analysis of public and private agricultural extension services in Balochistan, Pakistan. Pakistan J. Agric. Res. 25 (4): 307, 317.

Miah, H. 2015. Agriculture Sector Development Strategy: Background Paper for Preparation of the 7th Five Year Plan. Bangladesh: Food and Agriculture Organization. Place Published.

Moyo, R. and A. Salawu. 2018. A survey of communication effectiveness by agricultural extension in the Gweru district of Zimbabwe. Journal of Rural Studies, 60: 32-42.

Mulinya, M. 2017. Factors Affecting Small Scale Farmers Coping Strategies To Climate Change In Kakamega County In Kenya. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 22.

Olorunfemi, T. O., O. D. Olorunfemi and O. I. Oladele. 2020. Determinants of the involvement of extension agents in disseminating climate smart agricultural initiatives: Implication for scaling up. Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences, 19: 285-92.

Pandit, J. C. and N. C. Basak. 2014. Constraints faced by the farmers in commercial cultivation of vegetables. Journal of the Bangladesh Agricultural University, 11: 193-98.

Petros, M. T., D. K. Nachimuthu, M. H. Atinikut and M. Mohammed. 2018. Agricultural Extension: Challenges of Extension service for rural poor and youth in Amhara Region, North Western Ethiopia. The Case of North Gondar Zone. International Journal of Scientific Research and Management, 6.

Quddus, A. and J. D. Kropp. 2020. Constraints to Agricultural Production and Marketing in the Lagging Regions of Bangladesh. Sustainability, 12: 3956.

Ragasa, C., G. Berhane, F. Tadesse and A. S. Taffesse. 2013. Gender Differences in Access to Extension Services and Agricultural Productivity. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 19: 437-68.

Rashid, M. and Q. Gao. 2016. An assessment of public and private crop extension services in Bangladesh. IOSR Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, 9: 7-16.

Rashid, M. M. and Q. Gao. 2016. An assessment of public and private crop extension services in Bangladesh. IOSR Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, 9: 7-16.

Roy, D., M. G. Farouque and M. Z. Rahman. 2014. Problem Confrontation of the FFS Farmers in Participating Farmer Field School Training Session. Progressive Agriculture, 24: 273-80.

Sattaka, P., S. Pattaratuma and G. Attawipakpaisan. 2017. Agricultural extension services to foster production sustainability for food and cultural security of glutinous rice farmers in Vietnam. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, 38: 74-80.

Shalaby, M., K. Al-Zahrani, M. Baig, G. Straquadine and F. Aldosari. 2011. Threats and challenges to sustainable agriculture and rural development in Egypt: implications for agricultural extension. The Journal of Animal & Plant Sciences, 21: 581-88.

Sontakki, B., R. Samanta and P. Joshi. 2010. Redesigning agricultural extension in India: Challenges and opportunities, summary proceedings and recommendations of NAARM-IFPRI workshop held during 20-21 August 2010. National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Hyderabad.

Šūmane, S., I. Kunda, K. Knickel, A. Strauss, T. Tisenkopfs, I. d. I. Rios, M. Rivera, T. Chebach and A. Ashkenazy. 2018. Local and farmers' knowledge matters! How integrating informal and formal knowledge enhances sustainable and resilient agriculture. Journal of Rural Studies, 59: 232-41.

Taylor, M. and S. Bhasme. 2018. Model farmers, extension networks and the politics of agricultural knowledge transfer. Journal of Rural Studies, 64: 1-10.

Thuo, M., A. A. Bell, B. E. Bravo-Ureta, M. A. Lachaud, D. K. Okello, E. N. Okoko, N. L. Kidula, C. M. Deom and N. Puppala. 2014. Effects of social network factors on information acquisition and adoption of improved groundnut varieties: the case of Uganda and Kenya. Agriculture and Human Values, 31: 339-53.

Uddin, M. and G. Qijie. 2013. Prospects and challenges of privatization of agricultural extension service in Bangladesh. Asian Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development, 3: 477-87.

Uddin, M. N. 2008. Agricultural extension services in Bangladesh: A review study. Department of Agricultural Extension Education, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh.

Uddin, M. N., W. Bokelmann and E. S. Dunn. 2017. Determinants of Farmers’ Perception of Climate Change: A Case Study from the Coastal Region of Bangladesh. American Journal of Climate Change, 06: 151-65.

Uddin, M. N., K. H. Kabir, D. Roy, M. T. Hasan, M. A. Sarker and E. S. Dunn. 2021. Understanding the constraints and its related factors in tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) fish culture at farm level: A case from Bangladesh. Aquaculture, 530: 735927.

USAID. 2017. Bangladesh: Desk Study of Extension and Advisory Services. https://www.digitalgreen.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Bangladesh-Desk-Study.pdf.(Accessed on July 15, 2020). Place Published.

World Bank. 2010. Extension and Advisory Systems: Procedures for Assessing, Transforming, and Evaluating Extension Systems, Washington, D.C. Place Published.

———. 2019. Arable land (hectares per person). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.ARBL.HA.PC?locations=BD (accessed on 6 August 2019). Place Published.

Wossen, T., T. Abdoulaye, A. Alene, M. G. Haile, S. Feleke, A.

Olanrewaju and V. Manyong. 2017. Impacts of extension access and cooperative membership on technology adoption and household welfare. Journal of Rural Studies, 54: 223-33.


Full Text: PDF

DOI: 10.33687/ijae.009.03.3606

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2021 Saifur Rahman

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.