ACCESSIBILITY OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICES BY FARMERS: IMPLICATIONS FOR FOOD SECURITY IN NORTH WEST, NIGERIA

This study examines the accessibility of extension services among farmers and its implications for food security in Nigeria. A Multi-stage random sampling procedure was used to sample 378 respondents from Kaduna and Kano States. Descriptive (percentage, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Pearson Product-Moment correlation Coefficient (r) and Binomial test) were used to analyse data of the study. Findings revealed that 75.40% of farmers had access to extension services and key factors influencing access, include socio-economic characteristics (mean = 3.08), availability of extension agents (mean = 3.03), membership in farm-based organizations (mean = 3.04),financial resources (mean = 2.97), training (mean = 2.94), and access to ICTs (mean =2.94). The results showed a strong positive correlation (r = 0.7452) between farmers' access to extension services and farm productivity, with statistical significance at the 1% level. The study also confirmed a significant difference in food security levels between farmers with access to extension services and those without, thereby rejecting the null hypothesis. However, major challenges hindering effective extension service delivery included inadequate funding (92.86%), poor logistics (91.01%), an unfavorable extension agent-to-farmer ratio (88.89%), and limited training for both farmers and extension agents. Political interference and lack of government commitment (54.76%) further constrained service efficiency. There is a need for increased government and private sector investment in extension services, improved infrastructure, and enhanced training programs for extension personnel.