The Opinion of Agricultural Extension Agents on the Importance of Participating in Extension Activities and Procedures Provided by the Agricultural Extension Organization in the Republic of Iraq

Abstract

The research aimed to identify the opinion of the surveyed agricultural extension agents on the importance of farmers’ participation in the extension activities, as well as to determine the level of farmers’ participation in the extension activities and the reasons for the poor participation of farmers in the extension activities, the procedures that agricultural extension takes to provide opportunities for farmers to participate in the activities. The research was conducted on a sample of agricultural extension agents in four provinces of Iraq, namely Basra, Babil, Salah al-Din, and Nineveh, and the number reached 209 respondents who were chosen randomly, from a community of 418 agricultural extension agents in those provinces, at a rate of 50%, and data was collected from Respondents during August 2022, In a personal interview using a questionnaire form prepared for this purpose after conducting appropriate tests to achieve the research objectives, the data was quantitatively processed and the arithmetic means standard deviation, and the weighted average was used in its analysis, as well as the range and tabular presentation were used by frequency and percentage of data presentation. The most important results that were reached were the following: It became clear that (78.5%) of the respondents believe that the participation of farmers in extension activities is very important. extension, lack of financial and moral support for farmers, weak trust between agricultural extension and farmers, low farmer returns as a result of agricultural production, and the multiplicity and overlapping of agricultural seasons. Extension activities. The most important measures taken by agricultural extension to provide opportunities for farmers to participate in extension activities are: Holding extension seminars with farmers periodically, setting up field schools, communicating new and useful agricultural information and innovations, providing incentives to owners of distinctive extension fields, choosing places close to farmers to hold extension seminars, and educating farmers on the importance of participating in extension activities.