GRASSROOT MECHANIZED FARMING: THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION PROVIDERS

The paper focused on the role of extension service providers in ensuring that mechanization is adopted at the grassroot level among farmers. Information dissemination, farmers' education and awareness creation in motivating the smallholder farmers to utilizing these farm machineries optimally plats a major role in actualizing mechanized farming among these farmers. It further highlights the various challenges hampering the operational use of these farm machines by farmers such as cultural barriers, high cost of machines, low access to credit facilities, high cost of rental, lack of technical expertise among others. It offers practical guide to solving these barriers for optimum use of these farm machines by grassroot farmers through the assistance of extension personnel in creating awareness, and educating the farmers into embracing farm mechanization, sustaining their interest as regards introduction of one technology per time, need specification, technical know- how, action and satisfaction. All of these will help in improving mechanization effectively at the grassroot level with the assistance of extension personnel.