COMMUNAL CONFLICTS OCCURRENCE AND EFFECTS ON FARMERS’ ACCESS TO AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICES IN BENUE AND NASARAWA STATES, NORTH-CENTRAL, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined effects of communal conflicts occurrence on farmers’ access to agricultural extension services in conflict prone areas of North-central, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to obtain a sample size of 391 farmers. Information was elicited using questionnaires, interview schedule and analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings showed that the farmers in the study area perceived access to agricultural extension services and activities to be low in the following activities: visitation of farmers by extension agents (x̅ = 1.23), trainings on improved practices (x̅ = 1.24), access to information on proven farming technologies (x̅ = 1.25), participation in OFAR trails (x̅ = 1.25), participation in agricultural shows (x̅ = 1.25), meetings with extension agents (x̅ = 1.28), participation in result and method demonstrations (x̅ = 1.28), participation in field days (x̅ = 1.30), access to farm inputs (x̅ = 1.31) and participation in MTPs (x̅ = 1.33). The findings further revealed that frequency of occurrence, season of occurrence, category of people mostly affected, duration of communal conflicts and period of displacement had significant relationships with farmers’ access to agricultural extension services. It was concluded that occurrence of communal conflicts resulted in low access to agricultural extension services by farmers in the study area. The study recommended adoption of alternative approaches to extension services delivery as well as designing appropriate extension programmes by extension agencies in the country that would suite conflict prone areas.