INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR EFFECTIVE AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION COMMUNICATION IN NIGERIA

The paper proposes an effective use of information and communication technologies for agricultural extension communication in Nigeria. The broad objective of the study is to examine information and communication technologies as a medium for agricultural extension communication. The agricultural extension service in Nigeria has traditionally been through the Training and Visit (T&V) system. The Training and Visit system had it success. However, there were challenges by the extension staff to effectively provide needed agricultural information to farmers due to the farmer ratio in the country. It is in this regard that the use of ICTs is proposed which includes internet, search engines, telephones (fixed and mobile), short message services (SMS), e-mails, digital cameras, pocket digital assistant, computer, video, contact data bases & systems, flash drive, CD-Rom, DVD and Call-Center. Information and communication technology when use for agricultural extension communication will enhance the delivery and access to knowledge to farmers; and improved the breadth and scope of agriculture, increase learning rates, encourage critical thinking and offer unlimited means of achieving agricultural extension delivery. The study concludes that ICTs can actually transform the agricultural extension service in Nigeria because of it remarkable potential of increasing the speed of agricultural information dissemination to farmers. The study recommends that rigorous awareness campaigns should be undertaking to make extension staff and farmers aware of the existence of modern ICT tools so that they can utilize it. The study equally recommends that intensive hand-on training on the use of ICTs for agricultural extension communication to all actors should be undertaken on regular basis.