ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS’ AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH PROJECTS PRESENTED FOR THE AWARD OF DEGREES IN THE DEPARTMENT OF RURAL SOCIOLOGY AND EXTENSION

LIST OF TABLES

Tables                                                                                       Pages

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1       BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Agriculture is important to the Nigerian economy as it engages about 70% of the labour force and contributes over 40% of the Gross Domestic product (GDP) (FMARD,2010). It provides food for the teeming population and raw materials for industries. The sector is faced with mirage of problems which militate against optimizing its potential. Some of the constraints include low productivity, poor marketing and distribution infrastructures, inadequate access to credit, weak extension services and inadequate database among others. An attempt to ameliorate the constraints by the Federal Government was the adoption of the Agricultural Policy for Nigeria in 1988 (FMARD, 2000).

Agricultural extension is the application of scientific research and new knowledge to agricultural practices through farmer education. The field of 'extension' now encompasses a wider range of communication and learning activities organized for rural people by educators from different disciplines, including agriculture, agricultural marketing, health, and business studies. Extension practitioners can be found throughout the world, usually working for government agencies. They are represented by several professional organizations, networks and extension journals. Agricultural extension agencies in developing countries receive large amounts of support from international development organizations such as the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

The crucial role of agricultural Extension (i.e. farmer education) in the social and economic development of the nation cannot be over-emphasized. Never before in Nigerian history has the necessity for educating and raising the productive capacity of our farmers been of such importance as it is today (Adepo, Okwu and Ibrahim, 2012). Increased agricultural productivity depends primarily upon the acceptance of cultural and technological changes at the rural farm level.

Thus, for Nigerian agriculture to improve, our farmers have no alternative but to learn and adopt recommended scientific farming techniques in place of their traditional practices. Perhaps, the slow development of Nigerian agriculture can be attributed to the inability of the Nigerian farmers to respond positively to new ideas or innovations. For farmers to respond positively to new ideas, they must be properly educated on how best to apply the new ideas or practices to their farming activities (Ogunsumi and Abegunde, 2011; Nwachukwu, 2014). This is because the new ideas are often complex, technical and can hardly be understood by most of our farmers. Nigeria cannot achieve increased agricultural productivity on rural farm level, except through the provision of basic agricultural education, particularly, the non-formal or extension type that will help move millions of the farmers from traditional to progressive farming, thereby improving the overall quality of rural life. It is not very easy to define agricultural extension in a short concise, phrase or statement. Any attempt to define it properly would involve lengthy explanation of several principles and philosophies.

However, different authorities and experts have defined extension in different forms and ways, all ending on the improvement of the standard of living of the people. Fisher (1983) defined extension as a system of education extending beyond the classroom to individuals on the farms and is available to every member of the family. Fisher, thus, analyzed extension in terms of family approach system whereby all members of the family are taking into consideration in planning extension programme. Vanden Ban and Hawkin (1988), defined extension as involving the conscious use of communication of   information to help people form sound opinions and make good decisions. They explained extension systematically as a process which helps farmers to analyze their present and expected future situations, helps farmers to become aware of the problems, which can arise in such an analysis, increase knowledge and develops into problems and helps to structure farmers’ existing knowledge, helps farmers to acquire specific knowledge related to certain problems, solutions and their consequences so that they can act on possible alternatives, helps farmers to evaluate and improve their own opinion-forming and decision-making skills.

Asiabaka (2002) tried to look at Extension from modern perspective and thus, explained it from the aim, which extension seek to accomplish; which is to teach both the rural and urban clientele how to determine their problems and be able to rise to such problems using their own resources. He further explained Extension as having three important dimensions namely; educational component, which involves changing the behavior complex and attitude of the people, economicdimension, which includes; increased income of the clientele, increased crop yield, better financial management, better methods of food preservation, social dimension, which also includes; improved health of the clientele, leadership development, better grooming, development co-oper  ation, increased zeal for development.

The Department of Rural Sociology and Extension (RSE)came into existence since inception of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU). It has continued to organize and conduct researches both at the undergraduate and post graduate levels. This study therefore, was to analyze the research output of the Department.

1.2       PROBLEM STATEMENT

The Department of Rural Sociology and Extension (RSE) is one of the Department in the College of Agricultural Economics, Rural Sociology and Extension (CAERSE) of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike. Established in 1993/1994 under the administrative control of the Federal (now Michael Okpara) University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) and guided by the philosophy of Training for Helping People to Help Themselves, the Department addresses a three-pronged mission of; (MOUAU, 2010)

i.      Promoting and emphasizing teaching, research and extension of knowledge

ii.     Offering to the general public, the results of teaching and research, and fostering the practical application of such research results

iii.   Establishing institutional linkages in order to facilitate collaboration and integration of training, research and extension activities, as well as community development activities, particularly through outreach programme for technology transfer.

Over the years, a lot of researches have been carried out in the Department of Rural Sociology and Extension, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike.  However, in spite of the numerous achievement of the Department, there is no research, to the knowledge of the researcher that has been done to ascertain number, gender segregation and the disciplines of the researches carried out in the department within the period under study.

1.3       RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study will seek to provide answers to the following research questions;

      i.         What are the students’ research works presented to the Department of RSE for the award of degrees between the year 2000 and 2015 in MOUAU?

     ii.         What is the gender segregation of the students who presented research works for the award of degrees in RSE in MOUAU?

   iii.         What are the research topics by areas of specialization in RSE?

1.4       OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The broad objective of this study was to analyzestudents’ agricultural research works presented in the Department of Rural Sociology and Extension for the award of degrees in Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.

The specific objectives were to;

      i.         identify all The research works presentedin the Department of RSE from 2000- 2015 for the award of degrees in RSE, MOUAU;

     ii.         examine the gender segregation of the students who presented research works for the award of degrees in the Department;

   iii.         analyzethe research topics by areas of specialization in the Department.

1.5       JUSTIFICATION

This study will be of immense value to the Department of Rural Sociology and Extension, the students carrying out research and the entire University.

ü  To the Department of Rural Sociology and Extension, it will serve as a document of achievement and record keeping.

ü  To the subsequent students, this study will guide them as reference materials, library as well as guide them against plagiarism.

ü  To the University community, this work will promote their efforts in research and human development.

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