ASSESSMENT OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AGENTS TRAINING NEEDS ON ICT USE IN OSUN STATE, NIGERIA: APPLICATION OF BORICH MODEL

Abstract

The study assessed the training needs of Agricultural Extension Agents (AEAs) on ICT use in Osun State, Nigeria. Also, their attitude towards ICT use in the day to day activities of their job was studied. Ten Local Government Areas and 1 Area office were randomly selected out from which 54 AEAs were selected for the study. Borich needs assessment model was used to assess the perceived level of importance and ability of the AEAs concerning the 16 competencies on ICT use in extension delivery. The Mean Weighted Discrepancy Score (MWDS) for the competencies ranged from -2.00 to 1.60. The study identified the in-service training needs of AEAs to include receiving and disseminating agricultural information through e-mail, presenting television programme and organizing and setting up of various ICT equipment. More than half (57.4%) of the AEAs had indifferent attitude towards ICT use in extension delivery. The study recommends that in planning development programme for the AEAs in ICT use in the study area, emphasis should be on the professional competencies with the highest MWDS.