Assessment of Factors that Influence Participants Level of Participation in Fadama III Agricultural Project in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

The study assessed factors that influenced participant's level of participation of fadama III agricultural project in bayelsa state. Objectives were the participant's socioeconomic characteristics, and the factors that influenced participant's level of participation. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 150 farmers that participated, and 150 staff from the delivery agency. Data were collected with a structured questionnaire. Objective one was analyzed using descriptive statistics, while inferential statistics such as ordinary least square (OLS) regression analysis was used. The finding showed that farmers were averagely 42.6 years old, 54.7% of the farmers were females while 45.4% were males, 72.1% of the farmers were married. The farmers farm averagely 0.9 hectares and had averagely 7 persons per household. The farmers were literate, experienced in farming with mean monthly estimated income from Fadama of N44, 133.83. Extension visit to farmers was low with 38.7 percent being the largest proportion of the entire sampled farmers. Age of respondents, food security status, household size, and income level, and poverty status, leadership propensity, farming experience, educational level and distance to Fadama III training centre influenced participant's level of participation in Fadama III agricultural project in Bayelsa state. The study concludes that agricultural and rural development projects such as fadama III are fundamental to nation building and the agricultural sector is what can fast track the challenges faced by rural dwellers in terms of agricultural development in most of the developing countries. The study recommends that funds meant for agricultural projects be properly disbursed to farmers to enable them participate actively as farmer's income level motivate them to participate in agricultural and rural development projects