Requirements for Using Digital Agricultural Extension in Providing Extension Service from Viewpoint of Agricultural Extension Agents

Abstract

The research has aimed to determine the requirements for using digital agricultural extension in providing an extension service from the viewpoint of agricultural extension agents. The research population has included all agricultural extension agents who work in the Agricultural Extension and Training Department, the Training and Rehabilitation Center, the Agricultural Extension Center for Training, Al-Tarmiya Farm, as well as Al-Rashidiya Farm in Baghdad Governorate. Thus, a random sample has been taken from the research population at a rate of (83%). Accordingly, the proposed sample size has included (83) agricultural extension agents (from male and female). To achieve the goal of the research, a questionnaire has been prepared that included four axes: administrative requirements, technical and financial requirements, human requirements, and requirements of integrating the target audience to use digital agricultural extension. The agreement of extension agents on the requirements has been measured by using a five-point Likert scale (strongly agree, agree, somewhat agree, disagree, strongly disagree), and the following scores have determined for the scale expressions (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) respectively, hence, the general results (for the five axes) have shown that the majority of agricultural extension agents have had a high level of agreement with all requirements of using digital agricultural extension in providing agricultural extension services, with an average of (213.45) degrees, which is higher than the general average, and this may reflect the realism and objectivity of the requirements that have addressed in the research, which will provide an appropriate ground and achieve a satisfactory level of efficiency and effectiveness in the process of using digital agricultural extension in providing the agricultural extension service, if they implement and activate by the decision makers (authorities) in the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture.