Determinants of the acceptability of university agricultural extension in the Gauteng province of South Africa

Abstract

Universities offering agricultural programmes have the potential to complement public agricultural extension and advisory services because they are at the centre of knowledge generation—through research, teaching and community outreach programmes. The purpose of this study was to determine farmers’ acceptability of university agricultural extension and the factors influencing their decision. Using probability sampling, a sample of 442 participants from Gauteng Province were selected for inclusion in the survey to collect data through face-to-face interviews. Primary data were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) found in IBM SPSS version 27. The results showed that a significant proportion of the respondents favoured the introduction of university agricultural extension to complement public extension services as part of a pluralistic extension system. Furthermore, most of the farmers were willing to pay for extension services and were optimistic about the perceived benefits of associating with universities. The exploratory factor analysis revealed that access to research resources, improved extension services and training, and diffusion of university research were the three factors underlying the acceptability of university agricultural extension. It is suggested that a formal framework for pluralistic extension system should be developed through a participatory process that involves all stakeholders.