Emerging Roles of Agricultural Extension Workers in Meeting the Food Security Needs of the Millennium Development Goals
Emerging Roles of Agricultural Extension Workers in Meeting the Food Security Needs of the Millennium Development Goals.
ABSTRACT
The study focused on finding out the emerging roles agricultural extension workers need to perform in meeting the food security needs of the Millennium Development Goals in Onitsha central zone of Anambra State.
Specifically, the study sought for. Gender-related emerging roles of agricultural extension workers which can enhance the realization of food security in Onitsha central zone of the State.
The environmental conservation-related emerging roles of agricultural extension workers which can enhance the realization of food security in Onitsha central zone of the State, The HIV/AIDS-related emerging roles of agricultural extension workers which can enhance the realization of food security in the area.
The ICT application-related emerging roles of agricultural extension workers which can help in the realization of food security in study area. Migration-related emerging roles of agricultural extension workers which can enhance the realization of food security in the study area.
The area of the study was the Central Agricultural zone of Anambra State which was made up of three Local Government Areas.
The descriptive survey research design was employed for the study covering a target population of 480 registered farmers and twenty-four extension workers out of which a sample of 120 registered farmers was taken, and all the twenty-four extension workers were used giving a total sample size of 144.
INTRODUCTION
The continuous betterment of the wellbeing of the members of any society is a goal worth pursuing by every human society. Also, the sustainable production and availability of food is the first pillar of food security just as food security is the first pillar of every other effort in the development of a society.
There is no doubt that there are several facets of social development each of which combines with others towards the realization of a broader concept of social development. But then, the primacy of these facets varies. The leaders of the member states of the United Nations acknowledged the importance of social and human development.
This was why eight development goals were conceived which are to be pursued by every nation. The leaders of the member states of the United Nations also appreciated that the need for social development is multifaceted.
This was why there are (for now) eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which were conceived as the focus of the international community for the development of nations.
Furthermore, the United Nations appreciated the fact that some goals deserve some level of priority over others. For this reason, the first of the MDGs was meant to focus on the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger.
The idea of eradicating hunger corresponds to the 1996 World Food Summit goal of establishing food security among the people of the nations (Braun, Brown, Cline, Cohen, Rajul, & Rosegrant 2003).
According to Swanson (2008), the term food security means the ability of nations and individual households to have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
In the views of Food and Agricultural Organization, FAO (1998) food security involves such concepts as food production and accessibility.
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CSN Team.
