Assessing the Level of Skills of Agricultural Extension Workers in the Field of Disseminating Agricultural Technologies in Iraq

Abstract

The research aimed to assess the level of skills of agricultural extension workers in the field of disseminating agricultural technologies in Iraq and determine the relative importance of each field of agricultural technology dissemination. To achieve the research objectives, data was collected through a questionnaire administered via personal interviews with a random sample of workers in counseling centers. The sample consisted of 250 respondents, representing 35% of the total study population of 710 respondents. Frequencies, percentages, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and Step-Wise multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the research data. The results indicated a low level of skills among agricultural extension workers in the field of disseminating agricultural technologies. The highest category of respondents fell within the low category, accounting for 55.6%. The field of agricultural systems ranked first in terms of relative importance (53.36%), while the field of evaluation ranked last with a relative importance of 42.28%. The study recommends that the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture enhance the capabilities and skills of agricultural extension workers in the field of disseminating agricultural technologies through increasing training courses and keeping the workers informed about the latest developments in agricultural technology dissemination.