The impact of extension services on agricultural production: a case of maize in Ludewa District of Njombe Region, Tanzania

The agricultural sector is Tanzania’s main economic pillar. However, the development of the sector cannot be achieved without transformation of smallholder agriculture, which make up the larger proportion of the sector in the country. Provision of quality agricultural advisory services to enable farms access local, national and international markets is critical. There is a need for a well articulated and comprehensive agricultural extension policy that will enable implementation of an effective extension system. The current study assesses Tanzania’s national agricultural extension system to quantify the impact of extension services on production and productivity of maize. Cross sectional data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The production function was estimated using Ordinary Least Square method (OLS). The results indicated positive relationship (P =0.001) between extension services and quantity of maize produced. Other variables which revealed positive and significant relationships with extension services are family size and size of land. Sex of households head and fertilizer application showed negative and significant relationship with extenssion services. The study concludes that extension is an important factor for agricultural sector productivity. Recommendations to improve the quality and effectiveness of agricultural extension services in Tanzania are provided.