Jordanian Extension Agents’ Attitudes Jordan toward Farm Business Management and Training Needs

Abstract

The study aimed at examining the knowledge, attitudes and training needs of extension agents for farm management practices and marketing extension in Jordan. Data were collected from all public agents using four 5-point Likert-type scales. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranged between 0.81 – 0.94, which indicated the internal consistency of the study scales. Parametric and non-parametric tests were used to analyze the data. The extension services were found to be largely oriented to technical and production aspects, as less than one tenth of extension agents indicated that they offer general extension services in farm management or marketing extension. Few agents gave high ratings to their knowledge of farm management techniques. However, most agents attached high importance to farm management and marketing skills in an increasingly competitive environment. Similarly, most agents gave high ratings to their need for practical training to improve their farm management and marketing skills using multi-day workshops, irrespective of their attributes. Knowledge and need for training scale ratings were negatively correlated, which suggests that lower knowledge is associated with higher need for training. Coordinated efforts are momentous to enable agents to provide farmers with a basis for sound decision-making, and the skills to carry out profitable farm operations.