Agricultural extension strategies for managing post-harvest gluts and commodity price declines in southern Kebbi state, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated agricultural extension strategies for managing post-harvest gluts and commodity price drops in Southern Kebbi State, Nigeria, using data from 300 smallholder farmers collected through interview schedule. Descriptive statistics indicate that 78% of respondents had access to extension services, with 54% reporting easy accessibility. Exploratory Factor Analysis on 15 variables extracted five factors explaining 68% of total variance; the most significant factors were inadequate storage (factor loading = 0.82) and poor market information (0.79). Cross-tabulation and Chi-Square tests reveal significant associations between extension strategies and management of post-harvest gluts (chi-square = 32.45, df = 4, p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis shows that six extension strategies collectively explained 61.4% of variance in perceived effectiveness (R2 = 0.614, Adjusted R2 = 0.598), with significant predictors including farmer training (? = 0.312), storage support (beta = 0.278), market information (? = 0.235), value addition training (? = 0.145), cooperative linkage (? = 0.198), and extension contact frequency (? = 0.167), all significant at p < 0.05. The study recommends enhancing extension services, strengthening farmer training and cooperatives, and improving storage, market access, and information dissemination to empower smallholder farmers in Southern Kebbi for better post-harvest management and income stability.