تحليل زمينه هاي مشاركت مروجان دولتي و محلي در فعاليت هاي ترويجي نظام ترويج كشاورزي ايران

Analyzing Areas of Participation of State and Local Extension Workers in Extension Activities in Agricultural Extension system of Iran

In the new approaches to agricultural extension, extension workers play a major role in transferring knowledge and technologies from research stations to farmers. This role is highlighted when it comes to participatory extension approach which is to empower farmers through building their capacities. In such an approach, extension workers play different roles out of which facilitation is highly important. Keeping this in view, the main objective of this research was to analyze participation areas of state and local extension workers in extension activities of the national extension system of the country. This was a correlational-descriptive study conducted through survey method. The population of the study consisted of about 7000 state extension workers and 7100 local extension workers out of which 140 and 120 samples were selected by using Cochran Formula. Multi-stage sampling technique including both simple and cluster random techniques were applied in the study. panel of expertsʹ judgment. The reliability of the tool of the study was proved byCronbach Alpha as it was above 0.75 for main scales of the questionnaire. The results offactor analysis indicated thatfour factors viz., individual and group education of farmers, context analysis and provision of educational opportunities, distribution of agricultural inputs and production as well as distribution of extension-education materials accounted for 64 per cent of variation of state extension workers. With respect to local extension workers, four factors namely: context analysis, provision and expansion of educational opportunities; distribution of farming and form related inputs; mutual relationship with research centers and executive offices and close contact with progressive farmers accounted for 70 percent of variation in the respondentsʹ pattern of participation in extension activities.