COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ROLE OF FOR-PROFIT AND NON-PROFIT PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS IN AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICE DELIVERY IN SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA

摘要

The increasing private sector's participation in agricultural extension delivery is, complimenting significantly contributing to the public sector's effort. It is essential to understand how different private organizations with nuances and goals set about their extension service delivery to the mutual benefit of both the service provider and the clientele. This study investigated and compared the roles of far-profit the British American Tobacco Company and non-profit private organizations of the Fanners Development Union and the Diocesan Agricultural Development Programme in agricultural extension service delivery in South-western Nigeria. Data were collected using interview schedule from 218 for-profit and 304 non-profit organizations' clientele sekcted by multistage random sampling technique, totalling 522 respondents. Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Mean ages of respondents varied between 49.6 years and 47.1 years for profit-oriented and non-profit private organizations, respectively. At least 95% for-profit participants were married compared with 74.6% of the non-profit private organizations' clientele. In the case of non-profit organizations there were significant relationships behveen the level of achievement and gender (x~2=13.74, p < .01), land tenure status (x~2=22.33, p <0 .01), cosmopoliteness (r = -323, p < .01) and farming experience (r = .18, p < .05). Significant difference was found between the achievements of far-profit and non-profit organizations' participants (F = 32,27, p<.05). The profit-oriented organization was concerned with enterprise building for immediate gains while the non-profit organizations were concerned with capacity building. Procedure for recruitment of far-profit participants was stricter and more meticulous than that of the non-profit agencies. Extension contact betioeen agents and farmers was more direct and intensive in the case of the former, profit-oriented organisation. All inputs were supplied on credit in the case of far-profit whilst in case of the non-profit organizations materials were sourced and paid for on delivery by the clientele Overall achievement was higher in the case of far-profit organizations. The profit-oriented organization has demonstrated that private extension agencies have the potential to better help the participating farmers while helping themselves in profit making. The non-profit organizations (mostly NGOs) may have to make their programmes more participative and bottom-up generating cost-sharing and thus greater effectiveness.