Effectiveness of Public and Private Extension Services in Building Capacity of the Farmers: A Case of Bangladesh
Effectiveness of Public and Private Extension Services in Building Capacity of the Farmers: A Case of Bangladesh
Muhammad Humayun Kabir* and Md. Saiful Islam
ABSTRACT
There is a debate since long ago that which one is better, a public or private extension service. In this context, the objectives of the study were to measure the degree of effectiveness of public and private extension services for the building capacity of the farmers and to make a comparison between public and private extension services regarding their effectiveness towards farmers’ capacity building. A multistage (both purposive and random) sampling method was applied to select the study location as well as the sampling unit (farmer/household head). Data were collected from randomly selected 336 farmers of Dhamrai Upazila (sub-district) under Dhaka district, Bangladesh using a face-to-face interview survey. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were also conducted to cross-verify the collected data. The data were analyzed using some common descriptive statistical parameters and an independent-sample t-test. The survey indicates the majority of farmers (81.46 percent) believe private sector extension programs are less effective in boosting farmers’ farming abilities. In contrast, 59.55 % of farmers thought the same for public sectors extension. The independent sample t-test explored a significant difference between public and private extension services regarding farm and home visits, demonstration, and training programs. These services of public extension organizations were more effective than the private sector. The public extension organizations should strengthen their services that were not more effective than the private sectors and the private extension providers should rethink how they can increase the effectiveness of their extension services.
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