Armed Banditry and Agricultural Extension Service Delivery in Katsina State

Abstract

This study assessed the effect of armed banditry on agricultural extension service delivery in Katsina State, Nigeria. Using a multi-stage sampling procedure, data were collected via questionnaires from 196 respondents and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Binary Logistic Regression. Results showed that farmers had a mean age of 37 years, 14 years of farming experience, an average farm size of 2.45 hectares, and a household size of 8 persons. Findings showed that 56.1% of respondents lacked access to extension agents, 67.3% reported ineffective service delivery due to banditry, and 66.8% indicated remote extension services were unavailable. Logit regression analysis showed that banditry was a highly significant negative predictor of extension access (p < 0.01), reducing the odds of access by 90.6%. Conversely, cooperative membership significantly increased the likelihood of access. The study concluded that armed banditry severely disrupts extension delivery. It recommends that extension agents adopt digital platforms, radio, and mobile phones to disseminate information in insecure communities. Additionally, the government must strengthen rural security architecture and support extension personnel operating in conflict-prone areas.