Abstract:
Agricultural extension planning, management, resource-raising and, or
allocation in Ghana is executed by the Department Of Agriculture (DA)
through local government (LG) for public sector AEAs to be effectively
responsive to the contextual needs of farmers under the decentralised system.
The study determined public sector AEAs’ performance and factors that
affected such performance under the decentralised system in the Western
Region. Using a cross-sectional survey, a population of 59 AEAs and
randomly selected 334 farmer group representatives were interviewed with
questionnaires and structured interview schedules in six districts. The results
showed that, public sector AEAs’ performance was good on the indicators
used by the study except stakeholder inclusion and participation in extension
activities, which had a satisfactory performance. The best predictor variables
of AEAs’ performance in the region were individual capacity, organisational
capacity and partnership and linkages. The study concluded that there is no
statistical significant difference in the AEAs’ performance among the districts.
Again, not all the factors considered by the study affected AEAs’ performance
in the Western Region. The study recommended among others that,
agricultural policy makers and decision takers are to plan, work and develop
the identified predicted variables for utilisation when prioritising and
sequencing interventions to improve public sector AEAs’ performance under
the decentralised system to achieve the SDGs of poverty eradication and food
security in the Western Region.
