The socio-economic characteristics of agricultural extension personnel are important variables in this study. These variables were investigated to comprehend their pre-disposing influence on the use of digital technologies. The socio-economic variables considered in the study were sex, age, educational qualification, marital status, household size, professional organisation membership, average monthly income, work experience, and ownership of a smartphone/laptop/iPad. The distribution of the respondents according to their socio-economic characteristics is presented in Table 1 below.

Source: Field survey data, 2023, ± = Standard deviation.

The result in Table 1 shows that the majority (55.5%) of agricultural extension personnel in South-East, Nigeria were male; suggesting that males are more involved in agricultural extension services than females. State-wise analysis shows that there were more females (51.9%) than males (48.1%) agricultural extension personnel in Anambra State, whereas there were more males (55.3%) and (57.8%) agricultural extension personnel in Ebonyi and Imo States, respectively. This result is consistent with the findings of [11] [14] [15] , who reported that more males than females are involved in agricultural extension services. This implies that there are more male extension personnel than females in South-East, Nigeria. However, It should be noted that the gap between the number of male extension personnel and females is not wide, indicating that females are rapidly catching up with males in taking extension roles. This is a good development, considering the importance of gender inclusivity in extension services.

The result also shows that the majority (62.9%) of agricultural extension personnel in South-East, Nigeria were within the age bracket of 38 - 47 years, while the least (6.0%) were within the age bracket of 58 years and above. The mean age of the agricultural extension personnel in South-East, Nigeria was 46 years. This implies that most agricultural extension personnel were still young and in their active service years. This result agrees with the findings of Lawal-Adebowale [16] , who reported that most extension workers are still in their active ages. The state-wise analysis reveals that the majority of agricultural extension personnel in Anambra State (46.2%), Ebonyi State (72.7%), and Imo State (60.6%) were within the age bracket of 38 - 47 years. The mean ages of the agricultural extension personnel in Anambra State, Ebonyi State, and Imo State were 45.4 years, 44.7 years, and 49.2 years, respectively. This implies that most agricultural extension personnel in the various states were young people in their active years in service. This is good because young people are more prone to innovation and change. They can easily adopt digital technologies if given the necessary training and supporting environment. Younger agricultural extension personnel are more likely to cope with the initial changes in integrating digital technologies in extension delivery. These findings are also supported by the results of Iheke [17] , who observed that young people have more risk-taking attributes, innovative abilities and mental capacity to cope with changes in the work environment.

Also, data in Table 1 reveals that about three-quarters (74.7%) of agricultural extension personnel in South-East, Nigeria possessed a Bachelor’s degree (B.Sc.) or a Higher National Diploma (HND) as their highest level of education. This distribution is consistent across the studied states of Anambra, Ebonyi, and Imo, with majority (40.4%, 77.3% and 82.8%), respectively, possessing B.Sc. or HND qualifications. A noteworthy observation is that all the extension personnel in the region had good formal educational training. Their educational level is crucial as it equips them with solid comprehension and communication skills, which are pivotal for effective information dissemination to farmers and the ability to understand and appreciate the importance of digital technologies in their work. Also, a sound educational background exposes individuals to continuous learning techniques for career improvement, enabling them to employ new methodologies in engaging with farmers for enhanced productivity.

The practical implication of their educational profile is that the agricultural extension personnel are well-prepared to embrace novel digital methodologies in extension delivery. These innovations can revolutionize extension services by providing prompt and improved farmer assistance, thereby contributing to enhanced farm productivity. This result is in line with the conclusions drawn by [18] [19] . These researchers concur that education serves as an invaluable instrument for acquiring new knowledge, its practical application to problem-solving, fostering the adoption of contemporary adaptive strategies, and effectively navigating the intricacies of new technologies within extension services.

Furthermore, the data in Table 1 indicate that a significant proportion (86.3%) of agricultural extension personnel in South-East, Nigeria is married. This pattern is consistent across the individual states studied, with 71.2 percent in Anambra, 90.9 percent in Ebonyi, and 87.2 percent in Imo State. This implies that almost all the extension personnel in the area are married. There are a number of socio-economic benefits of being married. Examples are joint financial decisions, shared assets, and ability to pool resources which are capable of leading to greater wealth accumulation. Also, marriage can provide social and emotional support which can enhance psychological well-being, job satisfaction and overall productivity, and by implication would help the extension personnel to cope with the initial changes in the work delivery methodologies due to the introduction of digital technologies.

The result further reveals that most agricultural extension personnel (57.7%) in South-East, Nigeria had a household size of between 6 and 10 persons, while the least proportion (2.2%) had more than 10 persons. The mean household size of agricultural extension personnel was 6 persons per household. This reveals that the agricultural extension personnel in the study area had relatively large household sizes, slightly higher than the national average of five (5) persons per household (20). Large household sizes would convey a huge responsibility to the household heads to cater. The household size of individuals influences their commitment level to work and participation in training that will help them boost their productivity, earn promotions, and earn higher salaries and wages that will enable them to cater to their large households’ needs. The study aligns with [20] [21] , who reported that people appear to be more committed to whatever they do when they have a large household size that depends on them for food, shelter, and clothing.

The result in Table 1 further shows that the majority (70.1%) of agricultural extension personnel in South-East, Nigeria belonged to professional organisations. The same was the case in each of the studied states of Anambra, Ebonyi, and Imo, where 73.1%, 62.1%, and 75.0% of the agricultural extension personnel were members of professional organisations. This implies that most agricultural extension personnel have a forum for interacting with others, exchanging ideas and learning together. Their involvement in group activities allows them to gain insights into the happenings around them. The findings are in alignment with those of [22] [23] , who posited that membership in cooperative societies allows members to share information on modern production techniques, purchase inputs in bulk, and exchange labour. This result also aligns with the study of Manteaw [24] . It has been established that individuals who participate in social organisations such as cooperative societies, community development associations, and other self-help groups adopt innovations more than those who do not belong.

Also, the results in Table 1 shed light on a disquieting pattern relating to the earnings of agricultural extension personnel in South-East, Nigeria. It was revealed that the majority (65.7%) of the personnel were earning between N50,001.00 and N100,000.00 monthly, while the smallest proportion (0.8%) were earning between N150,001.00 and N200,000.00 monthly. This pattern was consistent across the studied states of Anambra, Ebonyi, and Imo, with 67.3 percent, 53.0 percent and 74.4 percent of personnel falling within the N50,001.00 to N100,000.00 income bracket, respectively.

The mean monthly income for agricultural extension personnel in South-East, Nigeria was N61,386.00, while the respective mean incomes per month for extension personnel in Anambra, Ebonyi, and Imo States were N62,711.09, N58,798.30, and N62,648.75 respectively. These figures collectively reveal a prevalent low-income situation among agricultural extension personnel in South-East, Nigeria. This result is in line with the observation of Asiabaka [25] and the findings of Undiandeye [26] and Ajani [27] , who noted that agricultural extension workers are poorly remunerated.

This financial predicament may have adverse consequences on the motivation and willingness to embrace innovations that could enhance organizational performance or their ability to invest in acquiring digital technology devices and skills without external support. It is worth noting that improved incentives have been identified as effective motivators for individuals, as observed in the study by Aguinis [28] , which suggested that providing better incentives can lead to increased performance and overall organizational success.

The result in Table 1 also shows that the majority (51.1%) of the agricultural extension personnel in South-East, Nigeria had working experience ranging between 11 and 15 years, with an average working experience of 13.1 years. The same was the case in each of the studied states of Anambra, Ebonyi, and Imo States, where 55.8 percent, 57.6 percent, and 45.0 percent of the agricultural extension personnel had a working experience that ranged between 11 and 15 years, with average working experiences of 13.6 years, 12.4 years, and 13.4 years, respectively. This indicates that, on average, agricultural extension personnel in the study area had spent more than a decade on the job. This reveals that the various state ADPs in South-East, Nigeria have not been recruiting a good number of extension workers in recent years. Fidelugwuowo [29] observed a wide gap in the extension-farmer ratio in South-East Nigeria. This result further underscores the importance of integrating digital technologies in extension delivery as they will help enhance coverage, effectiveness, and efficiency in service delivery.

On the other hand, years of experience are also important in organizational performance. The longer agricultural extension personnel have been in service, the more practical expertise they will have in dealing with the challenges that come with extension services. Working expertise is also valuable for developing ideas and implementing improved working practices to increase efficiency and output. This finding aligns with that of Kang [30] , who stated that increased working experience leads to improved performance efficiency by assisting individuals in adopting better working methodologies.

The result in Table 1 also shows that the majority (91.5%) of the agricultural extension personnel in South-East, Nigeria own a smartphone, laptop or ipad. The same was the case in each of the studied states of Anambra, Ebonyi, and Imo, where 88.5 percent, 87.9 percent, and 95.0 percent of the agricultural extension personnel own a smartphone, respectively. This indicates that smartphones were important and commonly used digital gadgets among agricultural extension personnel in the study area. The reason for this result may be that smartphones are handy and can be used to perform many functions [31] . This can help them carry out their work more effectively if they understand more about its uses and relevance for extension services delivery outside of making and receiving calls.

The mean score of the self-rating of digital skills of agricultural extension personnel in the South-East region of Nigeria is presented in Table 2 .

Table 2 shows that the agricultural extension personnel in South-East, Nigeria had a grand mean score of 2.95 in their self-rating of their possession of key digital skills required for extension services delivery. This mean score of 2.95 falls within the mean range of 1.0 – 3.0, indicating a high gap in key digital skills among the extension personnel in South-East, Nigeria. Specifically, they reported a moderate skill gap in basic computer skills ( $\bar{x}$ = 4.32) and digital communication and collaboration skills ( $\bar{x}$ = 4.26). However, the results in Table 2 also indicate that there was a high digital skill gap in most of the core digital skills assessed, such as digital technical skills ( $\bar{x}$ = 2.46), digital data analysis skills ( $\bar{x}$ = 2.09), content creation skills ( $\bar{x}$ = 2.43) and digital ethics and cultural considerations skills ( $\bar{x}$ = 2.79). Other areas in which they reported a high skills gap were multimedia production skills ( $\bar{x}$ = 2.81) and Video library management skills ( $\bar{x}$ = 2.39). This implies that there were high gaps in the level of knowledge or possession of digital technical skills (such as how to use mobile apps, e-learning platforms, geospatial devices and being able to configure, install and troubleshoot these technologies), digital data analysis skills (which include the ability to analyse and interpret data collected using digital devices such as sensors, drones, and remote sensing devices).

*Acceptance means for digital skill gap of extension personnel (1.0 - 3.0 = High skill gap, 4.0 - 6.0 = Moderate skill gap, 7.0 - 9.0 = Low skill gap). $\bar{X}$ = Mean responses; RM = Remark; H= high, M = moderate, L = low; n = Total number of observations. Source: Field Survey, 2023.

Other areas where there exists high skills gap were content creation skills (such as the ability to create and publish content in digital formats), ethical skills (including being aware of ethical considerations related to the use of digital technologies such as data privacy, personal and device security, and intellectual property rights), multimedia production skills (such as being able to create good photos, videos, podcasts, and other multimedia contents), and video library management skills (involving the ability to organize and maintain a collection of videos and being able to track them in a digital environment.

The state-by-state analysis is also consistent with the pooled result, as shown in Table 2 . This explains that high digital skill gaps exist among agricultural extension personnel in South-East, Nigeria. This is in line with the submissions of Gould [32] and Bansal [33] who noted that training needs analysis aims to close the gap between the actual and desired situations by considering differences in outcomes, arranging them in order of priority, and selecting the most important for closure or reduction. This must be conducted before actual training can be performed, as it promotes synergy among individual learning needs and the quest for effectiveness in job performance and strategic organizational development.