Impact of Decentralised Ministry of Food and Agriculture on Extension Delivery; A Case Study of Tema Municipality in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana

Abstract

The need to improve extension delivery to farmers in Ghana has led to several structural changes within the organisation of Ministry of Food and Agriculture. In addition the T&V approach to extension delivery and a Unified Extension System were introduced. However the need to reach farmers with technologies continues to persist because o f the important role agriculture plays in the economy. It is in the light of this that this research sought to find out what effects the decentralised administrative structure o f the Ministry of Food and Agriculture have made on extension delivery. The study was conducted in the Tema municipality o f the Greater Accra region of Ghana. There is pressure on land in this area making the need for technologies very crucial in order to increase production. The design for the study follows the case study approach. The concentration was on the administrative processes that may be crucial to the success or failure of extension delivery in the decentralised administrative structure of Ministry o f Food and Agriculture. The sample for the study was sixty-five respondents. These were made up o f farmers who are in contact with extension agents, agricultural extension agents of the Municipal Agricultural Development Unit who work with farmers by taking to them agricultural information as well as new technologies in agriculture and the Municipal Director of Agriculture. Others were the Municipal Chief Executive and members o f the development sub-committee of the municipal assembly. Apart from the forty farmers who were selected using purposive sampling, the total population in each target group was used because the numbers involved were small. The data was analysed using univariate and bivariate techniques such as frequencies, percentages and cross tabulation. The main source o f technologies for delivery was found to be from research. However the technology generation process that involved both farmers and extension agents but did not cover all the departments that existed in the Ministry of Food and Agriculture before decentralisation was found to have deteriorated. A smaller number of both farmers and I extension agents were involved in technology generation in the decentralised structure. It was found that the provision of T&V training in the decentralised structure became irregular and less useful to agricultural extension agents compared to the old structure. While training in practical field experience was absent in both regimes. The methods used in disseminating information to farmers did not change in the decentralised structure. Field visits were also frequent in both regimes. However there was lack of new technologies for delivery in the decentralised structure and farmers found messages delivered not useful because the messages were not timely. The problem was more with farmers who practise inter-cropping. Thus the T&V extension was found to be unsuitable for multiple cropping systems. It has been concluded from the study that extension delivery has not improved under the decentralised administrative structure, and it can be attributed to the current structural arrangements. It is thus recommended that steps be taken to improve the existing involvement of farmers and extension agents in the technology generation process, training of extension agents in extension education and rural sociology as part o f their in-service training and the T&V extension should be revisited to make it appropriate for meeting the requirements of current farmers.

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Thesis(M.Phil)-University of Ghana,2004.

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