Starting the Garden with Transplants

In the spring and fall, carefully prepared trays of young vegetable plants grace garden centers everywhere, signaling the start of garden season. Many times, the varieties available in retail centers are not the best-tasting or best-adapted varieties for our area. Starting your own vegetable transplants is fun and easy. This publication provides considerations and best practices for selecting the best crops to transplant and how to prepare transplants for home and community gardens in Florida. Original version: Stephens, James M. (1994) Starting the Garden with Transplants. Fact Sheet HS-507, April 1994. Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Gainesville, FL

INFORMATION NEEDS OF WILDLIFE HUNTERS IN KWARA STATE: IMPLICATION FOR EXTENSION SERVICE DELIVERY IN NIGERIA

Access to accurate, timely and reliable information has crucial roles in production efficiency of wildlife hunters. An understanding of information needs could propel actors in the agricultural information business to provide information that will meet the needs. To this end, the present study investigated the information needs of wildlife hunters in Kwara State, Nigeria. A three-stage sampling technique was used to select 120 respondents for the study. Primary data collected with the use of interview schedule were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical tools. The result revealed that hunters’ group (M = 2.48) and consultation with older/experienced hunters (M = 2.02) were the prominent channels of information accessible to the hunters. Information on market situation (M = 2.16), games search techniques and ethics (M = 2.07) and hunting locations (M = 1.98) were the major areas of information needs of the hunters. Also, lack of awareness of extension information source (M = 1.96), inaccessibility of extension workers (M = 1.86) and trust of the information source (M = 1.79) were the major identified obstacles to accessing information from extension channels. The study further showed that age of the hunters, level of education and years of experience have a significant relationship with their information needs at p < 0.05. The study concluded that the hunters have ample information needs and recommends that an arm of extension service operation should be devoted to wildlife with the mandate of hunters’ education on vital areas of wildlife management for improved livelihood.

Towards an efficient post Covid-19 ict based extension service delivery model for the sugar industry of eSwatini

This study presents a designed ICT based extension service delivery system for the sugar industry of Eswatini. The model is an improvement of the current system and it presents a delivery system that is void of many limitations. This model emanates from findings of a survey which involved all smallholder sugarcane farmers (N=172) and their extension officers (N=17). The survey investigated how information and knowledge are currently managed within the sugar industry. Basically, the model revolves around the use of mobile phones to relay information among the sugar industry stakeholders in a timely, more organised, productive and cost-effective ways, without contravention of the COVID-19 pandemic protocols. Sugarcane stakeholders can now be able to exchange information using the model without having to meet physically, which is what most of the traditional approaches required. The exchange of information can be in a form of voiced, pre-recorded information in the form of texts, audio, or audio visuals. This would go a long way in enhancing smallholder farmer’s productivity as it has the potential of empowering more rural sugarcane farmers with crucial information for improved productivity. The model has the potential to sustain itself as the participation of the stakeholders is promoted.

Assessment of Veterinary Extension Service and Public Perception on Major Infectious and Zoonotic Disease at Robe Veterinary Clinic of Bale Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

Background A survey-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April to August 2021 to assess veterinary extension service and public perception on major infectious and zoonotic diseases at Robe veterinary clinic. 384 animal owners who brought their animals for treatment were interviewed. Results The result indicated that 70.8% of respondents had no veterinary extension service. The majority (88%) had no access to the veterinary consultant. Although 51.6% of them used AI, only 7.8% of them know how to detect estrous. The most frequently known zoonotic diseases were Rabies (96.6%) followed by Anthrax (33.07%), and Tuberculosis (4.2%). Out of the 96.6% of respondents that replied to know about Rabies, 51.8% of them mentioned the disease can be transmitted only through dog biting while 14.8% of them say through biting and contact with saliva. Likewise, only 43.3% of respondents perceive that Anthrax is transmitted through ingestion, whereas 85% of them mentioned Tuberculosis can be transmitted from animal to humans only through inhalation. Although most animal owners prefer early treatment of animals in the veterinary clinic, there are also practices of traditional animal treatment. Remarkable only 16.4% and 24.7% of respondents know the importance of vaccination and slaughterhouse respectively. 93.8% and 94.8% of them still consume raw milk and meat respectively. Conclussion : The finding indicates that veterinary extension services are a neglected venture; the knowledge, attitude, and practice on prevention and control of major infectious and zoonotic diseases are still insufficient. Therefore there should be multidisciplinary one-health approach in educating the community about infectious and zoonotic diseases.

ACCEPTANCE LEVEL OF INDEPENDENT OIL PALM SMALLHOLDERS IN MALAYSIA TOWARDS EXTENSION SERVICES

The main objective of the extension group is to disseminate the oil palm technologies to the independent oil palm smallholders (ISH). However, since the beginning of the establishment of the extension group in the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) in 2002, there is no clear information on the acceptance level of ISH toward extension service activities by this group. Therefore, the main objectives of this study are to determine the perception and attitude of ISH toward the extension service activities by extension group and to identify the association between the level of perception and attitude of ISH toward extension activities with ISH personal profile and farm background. Based on the total population in the study area, the number of samples to be selected in this study is 384 respondents. Interview administrated questionnaires were employed to obtain the relevant data. The study revealed that the total average mean of respondents’ perception and attitude towards extension service activities is 3.99 which belongs to the category of high score range (3.67 – 5.00). Therefore, it shows that ISH has a positive perception and attitude towards extension service which can lead to the high acceptance level of extension service activities by extension group among ISH. Other than that, based on the chi-square analysis, it shows that different demographic profiles significantly influence the level of perception & attitude of ISH toward extension activities. The findings of this study will assist the extension group in MPOB to re-strategize and further improve its extension service while contributing to future studies.

Views of Farmers on the Structure of Private Extension Service Organization

The present study was conducted during the year 2018-2020 in Khordha district of Odisha to know the “views of farmers on the structure of private extension service organisation”. The number of respondents were selected by proportional and random sampling method. Descriptive as well as inferential statistical tools were employed to attain the objective of the study. the data was analysed by using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and correlation test. The study reveals that as much as (90%) of the respondents have expressed an opinion that the private extension service organization should be a registered one. Further 63.33% of the respondents believe that the state government should have control over private extension service organization in some other form to avoid exploitation. 90% of the respondents have the ranked training as the first requirement. 73.33% of the respondents have expressed that the extension service organizations should provide information’s to the farmers once a fortnight. 93.33% of the respondents have preferred that the block headquarter should be the operational area.

Training needs of N-Power Agro-beneficiaries in Kwara State, Nigeria

This study assessed the training needs of N-Power Agro beneficiaries in Kwara State. Simple random sampling was used to select 216 respondents using a questionnaire to collect data while percentages, mean, standard deviation and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) were used to analyze the data. Training of respondents was assessed using job/task and skill gap analysis. Results showed that rules and regulation governing the job (x̅ = 5.69), knowledge acquisition (x̅ =1.99), field practices (x̅ =1.70), record keeping (x̅ =1.69), and extension service delivery methods (x̅ =1.59) were the areas where training were needed. Extension service delivery methods (x̅ =3.17) was identified as the only gap which training could address. It was found that age (r=0.341), sex (r=0.095) and educational status (r=0.180) were favorable socioeconomic factors determining training needs of respondents at p≤0.05 level of significance. A significant gap exists in what the beneficiaries already know and what they now need to know as they have not been undergoing adequate capacity building training; hence there is a dire need for intensive training to cover the existing gaps for effective productivity of the N-agro beneficiaries in Kwara State.