(a) Marketing agents include producers, retailers, country buyers or farm gate buyers, wholesalers, commissioned agents, cooperative societies and Marketing or commodity boards.
(b) Characteristics of cooperative society in agriculture include (i) There is equality among members since each person has one vote. (ii) Each member is equally qualified for participation in the management of the society. (iii) Dividends are shared according to the level of individual financial contribution. (iv) They are very useful in business where small capital is needed. (v) The welfare of members is paramount to the society e.g. settling of dispute and social problems (vi) Membership is voluntary.
Advantages of cooperative society in agriculture are: (i) Dividends are based on financial contribution hence turnover is increased. (ii) Members imbibe the principles of democracy such as open membership; their activities tend to stabilise prices and trade. Members pay allegiance to the society by buying from or selling to it. (iii) They normally operate at low marketing costs since they do not spend on advertisement as members freely patronize the society. They have access to greater capital since they can use their collective bargaining to raise loan. (iv) They have economic effects on members such as granting them loans to solve their marketing problems. (v) They can easily get farm inputs required for production. (vi) They benefit from continuous extension education. (vii) They provide some marketing facilities e.g. transportation, storage etc.
(c) (i) Advantages of individual contact as an extension method include:
(1) It allows direct contact and exposure to first hand information on the farmers' personal and technical problems.
(2) It presents the extension worker as a friend who helps to deal with problems as they occur.
(3) It provides opportunity to chose the head of contact farmer who then coordinates other farmers.
(4) It helps to stimulate interest of farmers in the programme.
(5) It provides the opportunity to meet the farmer in a relaxed natural and tension-free environment.
(6) It is more effective and encourages better understanding by farmers.
(ii) The following are agricultural extension programme:
(1) Farm Settlement Scheme
(2) Operation Feed the Nation
(3) National Accelerated Food Production Programme
(4) Green Revolution (5) Agricultural Development Project
(6) Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure
(7) Agro Service Centers
(8) Young Farmers Club
(9) Special Programme on Food Security (S.P.FS)
(10) National Agricultural Land Development Agency. (NALDA)
(11) Low Land Agricultural Development Programme (in Gambia)
(12) Agric. Extension Programs by Universities, Ministry of Agric. (13 ) Agricultural Research Institutes (in Sierra Leone)