Requirements for using information and communication technology in agricultural extension work in Assiut governorate, Egypt

Abstract

This research aimed to identify the requirements of using information and communication technology in agricultural extension work in Asyut Governorate, and the degree of the impact of these requirements on agricultural extension work in the research area. This research was conducted on the majority all the employees of the agricultural extension agency in the governorate of Assiut, whose number at the time of conducting the research was 135 extension workers, Data were collected through personal interviews by a questionnaire was A prepared to that specially, Frequencies, Percentages, the mean, were used for data presentation and analysis SPSS program. The results could summarize as follows: The results showed that the majority of the respondents (85,0% of them) are aged 50 years or over, and the majority (74,1% of them) are of rural origin, although 74,8% of them don't possess agricultural holdings, and 69,6% of them have a diploma in agriculture, and the majority of them (85.1%) were working in agricultural field for 20 years or more, while 45.2% of them have been working in agricultural extension for 20 years or more, Most of them (77.0% of them) didn't receive training courses in the field of information and communication technology, so the majority of them (91.1% of them) had low benefit from training in this field, and 40.7% of them don't own computers (at home or work), and the majority of respondents (99.3% of them) have a mobile phone, and 48.1% of them have internet (wired, or wireless Wi-Fi) at home, while 47.7% of them don't have internet (wired, or wireless Wi-Fi). 2-. The majority of respondents agreed to the proposed items as requirements for the use of information and communication technology in agricultural extension work, which numbered 24 items with rates ranging between (94.8% - 89.6%) to develop the infrastructure requirements necessary for the use of information and communication technology in agricultural extension work , (97.0% - 92.6%) the requirements for training and qualification of the agricultural extension work environment (workers in the agricultural extension apparatus, and farmers) to suit the use of information and communication technology in agricultural extension work, and (96.3% - 91.1%) To develop a national strategy for the use of information and communication technology in extension work agricultural. The most important requirements for the use of information and communication technology in agricultural extension work were the importance and impact of agricultural extension work from the viewpoint of the respondents, arranged as follows: requirements for the development of a national strategy for the use of information and communication technology in agricultural extension work with an average from 75% to 55%, followed by requirements for training and rehabilitation of the environment agricultural extension work (workers, farmers) to fit the use of information and communication technology in agricultural extension work with an average from 69% to 35%, and ranked last in the requirements for developing the infrastructure needed to use information and communication technology in agricultural extension work, with an average from 67% to 20%.