Socio-Economic Characteristics and Extension Service Utilization among Fish Farmers in Oredo Local Government Area, Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between the socio-economic characteristics of fish farmers and their utilization of extension services in Oredo Local Government Area, Edo State, Nigeria. The study described the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers, identified their sources of fish farming information, Identify extension services utilized by fish farmers; and determine the relationship between socio-economic characteristics of fish farmers and their utilization of extension services
A multistage sampling technique was used to select 119 fish farmers. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while Chi-square analysis was used to test the relationship between socio-economic characteristics and extension service utilization.
The results showed that 28.6% of the respondents were between 41 and 50 years old. Males constituted 52.9% of the farmers, while 53.8% were married. Most respondents (67.8%) were Christians. Only 11.8% had no formal education, while the majority had tertiary education. About 82.5% operated farms between 0 and 0.5 hectares, and 63.2% owned three ponds. The internet (80%), fellow farmers (65.5%), and extension agents (45.5%) were the major sources of information.
The Chi-square results revealed that educational level, farm size, and farming experience significantly influenced the utilization of extension services. The study recommends that extension programs should target farmers with lower education levels and smaller farm sizes to improve service utilization.