The Role of Private Extension Agencies in Agricultural Development of Kaduna State, Nigeria: A Case Study of Leventis Foundation Agricultural Training School

Abstract

The study was conducted to study the contributions of Leventis Foundation Agricultural Training School (LFATS) Dogon Dawa to the advancement of agricultural development in Kaduna State of Nigeria.  Participants and non-participants of the school were selected using multistage sampling technique. Descriptive and inferential statistical tools were used to analyze data. Farming in the study area was found to be gender specific. However, the participants were more educated, with less farming experience than the non participants. Livestock production and bee keeping; crop production and agro-forestry; and farm product processing and utilization were ranked as areas in which the participants have been adequately trained.   T-test results revealed that there was a significant difference between the yields of the participants and that of the non-participants. These results helped to establish that being trained by LFATS could help farmers in ensuring that higher yields are obtained from their agricultural enterprises. Thus, this study concludes that LFATS is playing an important role in agricultural advancement and youth empowerment in Kaduna state through the skills acquired in its training programmes and recommends that other governmental and non governmental agencies could embark on such.

Keywords: Private Extension, Agricultural Development, Leventis Foundation