Evaluation of Agricultural Extension Service Delivery on Environmental Management in Taraba State

This study evaluates the effectiveness of agricultural extension services in delivering environmental management guidance to farming communities in Taraba State, North East Nigeria. Taraba State's diverse agro-ecological zones, encompassing Guinea savanna, highland areas, and gallery forest remnants, face environmental management challenges including forest encroachment, soil degradation, and land use conflicts between farmers and pastoralists. The effectiveness of extension services in addressing these environmental dimensions of farming practice has not been systematically assessed. The study employed a descriptive survey approach, administering questionnaires to 180 farming household heads in Jalingo, Zing, and Ussa Local Government Areas. Interviews were conducted with 20 extension officers and 5 Taraba State Agricultural Development Programme managers. Questions addressed extension contact frequency, topics covered, applicability of advice, and adoption of recommended environmental practices. Results show that average extension visit frequency is 1.4 visits per farmer per year, far below the minimum of twice monthly recommended in the national extension policy. Environmental management topics, specifically soil conservation, agroforestry, and bush fire prevention, are covered in fewer than 30 percent of reported extension interactions. Recommendations that are adopted most frequently relate to input use for yield improvement, while environmental management advice is rarely adopted due to lack of follow-up and demonstrated economic benefit. The study concludes that environmental sustainability is marginalised within current extension service priorities. Recommendations include integrating environmental management modules into extension officer training and establishing result demonstration plots for soil conservation techniques in each LGA. Keywords: agricultural extension, environmental management, Taraba State, land use, sustainable farming.