Impact of Decentralised Ministry of Food and Agriculture on Extension Delivery; A Case Study of Tema Municipality in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana
Date
2004-04
Authors
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Publisher
University 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
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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.
Description
Thesis(M.Phil)-University of Ghana,2004.