Informal Private Sector (IPS) is another dimension to
extension services. IPS denotes private organizations
that provide various extension services in the areas of
agro seed, agro-chemicals, agro processing, microfinancing,
farm tools and agro-consultancy with the aim
of making profit from the ventures. A research conducted
by Okoro et al. (2006), in Abia State comparing the
effectiveness of agricultural extension services between
IPS and Public Extension Services, revealed that most
of the IPS practitioners are retired agricultural officials
and or self employed graduates with few staff strength.
Inputs are sold along with extension services.
Relationship between the IPS operators and farmers
is mostly on individual basis. Ninety eight point five seven
percent (98.57%) of the farmers got gift like crate of eggs
from the IPS as a kind of public relation services. About
85% of the farmers got extension information from IPS
while 71.4% of the respondents attributed growth in farm
size to the effort of the IPS.
In summary private extension services appear to provide
timely and appropriate services in terms of farmers’
need. This is in agreement with the whys and wherefores
of extension privatization.
Advocates of private extension services belief that it
improves efficiency, improves public finance, encourages
competition and private sector participation.
However, poor road network, inadequate finance on the
part of the private extension practitioners, farmers inability
to buy inputs and poor educational status of
farmers resulting in slow adoption of technologies are the
constraints affecting private extension services.
It is important to point out, that, privatization of extension
services in Nigeria is still in the form of increased in
private sector participation in provision of agricultural
extension services and not a transfer of state owned asserts
to the private sectors. One of the popular farmers
organization that could be used to promote extension
ctivities is Apex Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (AFAN).
The type of partnership formed by this organization with
other stakeholders is not very strong. Nigerian government
has no guidelines regulating activities of private
extension service providers at the moment.