Small Ruminant Farmers’ Training Needs on the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training Disseminated Technologies in Ondo State, Nigeria

The development and dissemination of improved small ruminant technologies across southwestern Nigeria is essential for sustainable sheep and goat production and food security. However, the recent dissemination of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) technologies revealed low adoption of some technologies. Retraining small ruminant farmers on the previously disseminated technologies in the study area is essential to ensure farmers maximise benefits and improve productivity. Therefore, assessment of the training needs of small ruminant farmers in Ondo State concerning IAR&T disseminated technologies was carried out. This study adopted a multi-stage sampling procedure to select 80 respondents. An interview schedule was employed to elicit information, and the data obtained were analysed using descriptive (percentages & mean scores) and inferential statistics (Pearson Product-Moment Correlation). Results revealed that extension service (97.5%) was the primary pathway for receiving livestock information. Respondents possessed some knowledge of the use of tobacco leaf extract in the control of ecto-parasites. Awareness about the types of ecto-parasites that tobacco leaf extract could control was high (98.8%). The training needs of higher priority for small ruminant farmers were sourcing and selection of healthy foundation stock ((X ) ̅=2.24). The highest constraints associated with respondents’ training needs included high cost of capital investment ((X ) ̅=1.44), the use of technical terminologies ((X ) ̅=1.20), and poor accessibility of small ruminant technologies ((X ) ̅=1.19). In conclusion, effective information dissemination is crucial for the acquisition of knowledge and skills of small ruminant farmers. Therefore, IAR&T should effectively provide more information on sheep and goat technologies to improve productivity through training programmes.