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Dr. Oladayo Abiodun Ajala

Reader / Associate Professor | PG Coordinator

Faculty of Agriculture · Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development

Specialization Agricultural Extension and Rural Development.

Office: Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Faculty of Agriculture

Phone: +2347068617924

Email: abiodun.ajala@fuoye.edu.ng

Biography

Dr. Ajala Abiodun Oladayo is a distinguished academic and researcher currently serving as an Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Nigeria. Born on December 9, 1966, in Gbongan, Osun State, Dr. Ajala has dedicated over three decades to the advancement of agricultural education and rural sociology.

His solid academic foundation began at the University of Ibadan, where he earned a B.Sc. (Hons) in Agriculture with a Second Class Upper Division in 1990. He later attended Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, obtaining an M.Sc. in Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology in 2001, followed by a Ph.D. in 2011.

Dr. Ajala’s diverse career spans institutional leadership, administrative management, and tertiary education. Before his current tenure at FUOYE, which began in 2021, he rose through the ranks from Lecturer II to Lecturer I at Landmark University between 2012 and 2021. His earlier professional history includes serving as the Principal of Toppers Model College, a Loans Manager for the Osun State Agricultural Credit Corporation, and an educational tutor.

An avid researcher, Dr. Ajala specializes in agricultural extension service delivery, rural empowerment, and indigenous management practices. He has authored numerous high-impact peer-reviewed publications and actively mentors the next generation of scholars, supervising multiple undergraduate and postgraduate students, including five ongoing Ph.D. candidates. He is a prominent member of several professional bodies, such as the Rural Sociological Association of Nigeria (RuSAN) and the Agricultural Extension Society of Nigeria (AESON). Outside of his scholarly endeavors, he enjoys reading, writing, and farming.

Research Interests

Agricultural Extension Service Delivery: Evaluating the effectiveness of extension services, training needs of farmers (such as fish and poultry farmers), and the adoption of improved crop production technologies—particularly cassava production.


Rural Development and Livelihoods: Ameliorating rural poverty through innovative frameworks, assessing rural households' access to infrastructure, and studying rural youth empowerment and entrepreneurship.


Indigenous and Alternative Practices: Documenting and assessing the effectiveness of indigenous knowledge, alternative medicine among arable crop farmers, and traditional livestock management and egg incubation practices.


Gender Analysis in Agriculture: Examining women’s involvement in forest product gathering, addressing gender differentials in formal education, and evaluating rural women’s access to production resources and livestock agriculture as tools for economic empowerment.


Agricultural Technology & Innovation: Studying the adoption and utilization of modern tools, such as solar power by rural households and electronic wallet systems for fertilizer distribution.

Qualifications

Membership of Professional Bodies

Paper Presentation - Local

Paper Presentation - International

Postgraduate Ph.D Supervision

Postgraduate M.Sc Supervision