Training Needs Assessment on the Use of Social Media among Extension Agents in Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Agricultural information exchange has been dominated by industrial media such as newspapers, television, and magazines for decades. However, social media as a form of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) method for harmonizing sustainable agriculture and natural resources provides broader agricultural community that eliminates physical distance. The study therefore examined training needs assessment on the use of social media among agricultural extension agents in Oyo State, Nigeria. All the 90 agricultural extension agents in Oyo State Agricultural Development Programme (OYSADEP) were interviewed. This includes 35 from Ibadan|Ibarapa zone, 22 from Saki, 19 from Oyo and 14 from Ogbomosho zone. Result shows that the mean age of extension agents in Oyo State was 38±2 years, (98.8%) had one form of tertiary education or the other. Majority (72.0%) exhibited high need for training on the use of social media even when the result revealed that Facebook (47.6%) was mostly used social media among the agents. The result of inferential statistics shows that there was a significant relationship between education (X2 =10.142, p<0.05), marital status (X2 =19.632, p<0.05), social media used (r= -0.337, p<0.05) and training needs. However, inverse but significant relationship existed between extension agents’ knowledge of social media (r= -0.875, p<0.05) and training needs. Concerted efforts by relevant stakeholders to train extension agents will in no measure foster sustainable food security drive in Nigeria. Keywords: Social Media, Training Needs, ICT, Agricultural Extension