ASSESSMENT OF FARMERS ’ PERCEPTION OF THE EFFECTIVEN ESS OF SONGHAI-DELTA FISH CULTURE TRAINING PROGRAMME IN DELTA STATE , NIGERIA

The study assessed the effectiveness of Songhai-Del ta fish culture training programme. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from f orty two trainees. A majority (86.7%) of the respondents were male, aged between 30-49 years wit h majority having secondary and tertiary education. The respondents had good perception of t he trainers and the training programme organization and administration but felt that the c ontent of the training was not fully relevant to th e respondents’ problems (x= 3.47). Also, there was in ufficient time for practice (x =3.3) and training duration and time were inadequate (x= 2.40). The re spondents reported that there was no significant increase in their knowledge and skills after the tr aining programme. They however adopted many fish culture technologies after the training. Major perceived constraint to the training programme was distance to the training centre (x = 3.67). It was recommended that there is a need for proper training needs analysis before training activities are carried out and there is a need for re-training of the centre’s staff in areas of adult training to ma ke the centre’s training more effective.


INTRODUCTION
Training can be regarded as an age long concept which performs the therapeutic function of shaping knowledge, skill and attitude that are required for effective performance of duties and or assignment (Adisa and Okunade, 2005).The training of people engaged in agricultural and community development programs aim at communicating information, knowledge and skills, replacing old attitudes by new ones, exchanging opinion and experiences, removing doubts and difficulties (Raab, 1991).
Training according to Halim and Ali (1988) is carried out so as to be fitted, qualified and proficient.The purpose is to impact knowledge and skills to an individual so that he can perform some desirable tasks.Okwu and Ejembi (2005) refer to farmers' training as 'an intensive learning activity for a group of selected farmers, assisted by competent trainers to understand and practice the skills required in the adoption of technology at a place where appropriate facilities exist and at a time and duration considered suitable by farmers.The need for training subsumes a deficit situation in the knowledge and skill level of the practicing farmers as well as the availability of appropriate applicable information, the utilization of which will correct the problem situation (Okwu and Ejembi, 2005).
Training provides whatever additional specific items of knowledge, skill or attitude they need to perform up to that standard.Training is conducted whenever an individual engages in an activity that results in the ability to exercise a skill that he does not previously have.Aquaculture as in other areas or subsectors of agriculture has certain complexities (Ajieh, 2004).For example, the provision of young fish to stock ponds, pond fertilization and food provision require considerable sophistication (Ajieh, 2004).The farmer therefore needs competency in knowledge, skills and techniques involved in the efficient management of fish to maximize production.Farmers' competencies in aquaculture could be enhanced through proper training.Training can reduce if not eliminate this gap.The aim shall be to impact new knowledge, teach better skills and bring about more effective performance in the production of food and livestock.
Although local fish production Nigeria is mainly through capture fisheries with its finite nature, prominence is given to fish farming as a supplement.Naylon, Holdbury, Primavera, Kautsky, Beneridge, Clay, Folke and Troell (2001) and Samaki News (2003) Ajieh (2004) reported that in order to boost fish production through fish farming in Delta State of Nigeria, fish farming innovations are developed and disseminated by the Delta State ADP to ensure maximum productivity.This is because a significant relationship has been found between training and adoption of technologies by farmers (Ajayi, 2005).
Songhai-Delta is a Delta State Government establishment charged with improving agricultural production through provision of specialized training on integrated agricultural production (aquaculture, animal husbandry, and crop production, food processing and related areas).The center's training on aquaculture is aimed at improving the technical efficiency of practicing fish farmers based on the proposition that the knowledge and skills they possessed are inadequate to the task requirement of their jobs.Periodic assessment of the views of trainees that attended the centre becomes very important as this would be useful for the centre in making necessary adjustments so as to meet the set goals.
The study therefore assessed the perception of farmers on the effectiveness of the Songhai-Delta training programme in enhancing aquaculture knowledge and skills of fish farmers.The specific objectives were to: • examine the personal characteristics of the respondents;

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was conducted in Delta State, Nigeria.The study population comprised farmers who have participated in the fish culture training programme in the Songhai-Delta Training Center after a year of attendance.From the list of 75 trainees obtained from the Songhai-Delta Training Center, a simple random sampling technique was used in selecting 15 trainees from each of the 3 senatorial districts in the state to give a total of 45 respondents.
Data were collected using an interview schedule to elicit information relevant to the stated objectives.To ascertain trainees perception of the effectiveness of the training programme in terms of the trainers performance, organization and administration, a five point Likert-type scale ranging from "undecided" (scale 1) to "strongly agree" (scale 5) were used.The level of knowledge and skills gained as a result of the training programme were measured on a four point Likert-type scale ranging from "poor" to "very good" and scaled 1 to 4 respectively.Respondents' assessment of constraints associated with the training programme was measured on a five point Likerttype scale with response options ranging from "undecided" (scale 1) to "very serious" (scale 5).Responses of the 4-point and 5-point scales were categorized according to their mean scores.Responses on 5 point Likert-scale with mean scores of 3.50 or above were classified as good, while those with mean scores below 3.50 were classified as poor.On the other hand, responses on 4 point Likert-scale with mean scores of 2.50 or above were classified as good, while those with mean scores below 2.50 were classified as poor.Frequencies and percentages were used to analyze the demographic characteristics of the respondents, and adoption of improved fishing technologies, while means and standard deviation were used to describe the perception domains of objectives 2, 3 and 5.The z-test was used to test the significant difference between respondents' knowledge and skills possessed before and after the training programme.
Songhai -Delta Fish Culture Training Programme in Delta State, Nigeria

Personal characteristics of respondents
Table 1 shows the selected personal characteristics of the respondents.A majority (86.7%) of the respondents are male and belonged to the active age group of between 30-49 years (83.3%).The result confirms the general view that modern aquaculture, as in other modern farming required people of age group that have skills and knowledge (Adisa, Adeokun and Oladoja, 2006).Table 1 also shows that majority of the respondents had secondary (46.7%) and tertiary education (46.7%).This is an indication that many of the respondents are literate which could assist them to cope with the training.According to Adisa, et al (2006) training is a process by which the skill and ability of people are improved to perform specific job better and require some level of literacy on the part of the trainees to cope.About 93% of the respondents had 3 or more years experience in fish farming.Respondents' perception of the training programme in terms of trainers' performance, organization and administration The result in Table 2(a) shows that the respondents agreed with all the 10 statements indicating a good perception of the performance of the trainers during the training programme.Ranking the statements in this domain, it was found that respondents strongly agreed with four statements that the trainer "used relevant examples to illustrate training"; "had an effective style of presentation"; "displayed good abilities such as being self confident and knowledgeable about additional resources"; and "was flexible and showed respect for trainees"; indicating that trainers performed relatively well in those areas.Although respondents agreed with the remaining statements but with the low ranking such as "allowed enough time to practice", and "summarized exercises and examples at the end of session" it was probably an indication that respondents wanted an improvement in those areas.The reaction of the respondents is not unexpected because they are practicing farmers that will require practical skills rather than theoretical knowledge.However, with respondents' disagreement with some statements like "the content of the training was relevant to their problems" ( X = 3.47) and "training duration and time were adequate" ( X = 2.40) it is also probably an indication that respondents were not satisfied with these two areas.This is because according to Okwu and Ejembi (2005) Respondents' perceived change in knowledge and skills after the training programme To determine whether significant improvement was made in the knowledge and skills of the trainees after the training programme, the mean ratings of respondents on knowledge and skills in the various aspects of aquaculture before and after the training programme were compared.The result in Table 3 shows that there was a positive increase in knowledge of trainees as a result of the training in the following areas of aquaculture; fish handling methods ( X =2.60); pond site selection ( X = 3.07); dike construction ( X = 3.00); fish feeding ( X = 3.0); pond management ( X = 3.07); and harvesting ( X = 3.00).The table also shows negative mean differences in the areas of land clearing ( X = -0.40);liming of pond ( X = -0.20);and fish culture methods ( X = -0.14),indicating no changes in the knowledge after training.On the other hand,, there were positive changes after the training in respondents' skills in all the production techniques identified.Though there were increases in the knowledge and skills of respondents after the training, the increases were not significant.This might not be unconnected with respondents' perception of not having enough practical sessions and nonrelevance of some subject matter to their needs as indicated in Tables 2(a) and 2(b).Respondents' adoption of fish production techniques after the training Table 4 shows the distribution of fish production techniques adopted by the respondents as a result of the training programme attended.The result shows that technologies relating to nine (9) areas of fish farming were all adopted, with fish handling methods and stocking of ponds (93.3%, respectively) being highest adopted.The high adoption of these technologies might be due to the fact that these farmers are fish farmers and would like to adopt improved technologies that would meet their needs.

Constraints faced by trainees in the training programme
Table 5 reveals that distance from the respondents' locations to the training center was the major perceived constraint ( X = 3.67).Inadequate training facilities ( X = 3.47), inadequate training staff ( X = 3.07), and low level of literacy of trainees' ( X = 3.00) were not perceived to be serious constraints to the smooth operation of the training programme.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Respondents had a good perception of the Songhai-Delta Training Centre as there were changes in their attitudes and the rate of adoption of fish culture technologies was high after the training.Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations were suggested:  (v) There is a need to provide frequent inservice training for the centre staff especially in areas of adult training so as to make the centre's training more effective.
(i)There is a need for carrying out training needs assessment before a training course so that course content meets the trainees' needs.(ii)Government should encourage more participation of farmers in this type of training (iii)There may be a need to review the course duration and times of training to enable farmers utilize the knowledge and skills gained at the appropriate timetrainees who live far away from the training centre may be a good incentive and motivation.