Effectiveness of training offered by the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research to farmers: The case of Holetta, Melkassa and Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Centres

Abstract

The research and extension divisions of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research are responsible for transfer of technologies. There is a need to improve agricultural extension activities through training. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of farmers’ training in improving their knowledge and attitudes and to identify the factors influencing effectiveness of training in terms of improving knowledge and attitude of the participants. Equal numbers of respondents from each of the three research centers were selected for the study. Structured interview schedule and informal interview with key informants were used for collecting the essential quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and nonparametric tests; correlation and regression analyses. The output of the study indicate that training offered by the three research centers significantly improved knowledge of potato, onion and durum wheat extension packages, attitude of farmers and level of practice of farmers compared to those of untrained sample farmers. The most important factors that significantly influenced knowledge of potato, onion and durum wheat extension packages were level of aspiration, education of farmers, information seeking behavior and extension contact. Similarly, the major factors that significantly influenced attitude of trained farmers include level of aspiration and education of farmers. Key words: Onion, durum wheat, potato, extension package, farmers, training, effectiveness.