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Apr 27, 2026Keywords:
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Main Article Content
Perceived Effectiveness of Extension Agents and the Role of a Hybrid Information Ecosystem, Beyond Access, in Driving Climate-Smart Agriculture in Southeast Nigeria
Abstract
Climate change poses significant threats to smallholder agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa, necessitating effective extension service delivery to promote climate-smart practices. This study examined the determinants of climate change awareness and adoption among cassava and rice farmers in Anambra State, Nigeria, with particular focus on the perceived effectiveness of extension agents and the role of a hybrid information ecosystem. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select 160 farmers and 20 extension officers. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Ordinary Least Squares regression, and binary logistic regression. The results revealed that while 59.4% of farmers lacked access to extension services, 68.8% had received some form of climate change training, primarily through government agencies and farmer organizations. Farmers relied heavily on a hybrid information ecosystem comprising friends and relations (95.0%), farmer organizations (95.6%), WhatsApp (79.4%), extension agencies (75.0%), and radio (66.9%). Perceived effectiveness of extension agents showed the strongest positive association with awareness (β = 0.065, t = 8.30*) and adoption (β = 0.008, t = 3.47*) of climate-smart strategies. Television, magazines, friends/relatives, and town criers also contributed significantly to awareness. However, access to extension services alone was not significantly associated with adoption (χ² = 0.04, p = 0.847), indicating that quality, not mere contact, drives behavioural change. The regression model explained 59.8% of the variation in awareness (R² = 0.598) and 47.6% of the variation in adoption (R² = 0.476). The study concludes that a pluralistic, quality-driven extension model that combines face-to-face advisory services with mass media and carefully selected digital platforms is essential for building farmers' adaptive capacity. Recommendations include strengthening extension agent training, improving the quality of advisory services, leveraging multiple communication channels, and developing context-specific content for digital platforms.
