Job satisfaction of extension workers in Edo State Agricultural Development Programme (EDADP), Nigeria

Agricultural extension can be said to be germane for any meaningful development in the agricultural sector. Extension personnel that are saddled with this responsibility need to be satisfied with their job in order to perform their duties effectively. Therefore this study examined the factors affecting job performance and level of job satisfaction of extension workers in the Edo state ADP. Edo south zone was randomly selected from the state, while 35 extension personnel where randomly chosen from the zone. Data were analysed using frequency count, percentages, means, chi-square and ANOVA. Findings reveal that 34.3% of the respondents are between the ages of 40 to 44 years with 85.7% being OND holders. Extension training (mean = 4.37) was considered as an important factor affecting extension workers job performance and the extension personnel were more satisfied with the working relationship with their colleagues (mean = 4.48) but unsatisfied with the working conditions (mean = 1.82) and salaries being paid (mean = 2.11). Also, there were no significant relationships between the personal characteristics of the extension agents (gender, age, marital status and level of education) and the level of job satisfaction. There was however a significant difference in the level of job satisfaction between workers with high and low years of experience. There is a need for regular training of extension agents so as to be abreast of new developments, improve their knowledge and skills in new extension methodologies. With this, extension agents will be motivated and be satisfied with their jobs. Keywords: job satisfaction, extension workersInternational Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development Vol. 6 2005: 202-207