Analysis of Farmers' Perception of the Accountability of Agricultural Extension Services in Oyo State, Nigeria.

Participatory approaches to agricultural extension service delivery emphasize the need for accountability of extension to the end users. This study analysed farmers' perception of the accountability of agricultural extension services rendered in Oyo State, Nigeria. Structured interview schedule was used in eliciting information from 195 farmers in rural communities across the four agro-ecological zones in the study area using a two-stage random sampling technique. Data used for the study were analysed using descriptive statistics, Likert scale and the regression analysis. The study revealed that farmers perceived the level of accountability of extension tofarmers in the study area as poor. Level of education, access to training and membership of farmer-groups negatively influenced accountability at p<0.05. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that agricultural extension policies that will ensure accountability of extension tofarmers should be put in place. Farmers should also be enlightened in order to create awareness as to their rights as clientele in the extension process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]