The Reality of Extension Works in the Directorate of Agricultural Extension and Agricultural Research In Kurdistan Region of Iraq

1. INTRODUCTION

The agricultural sector is considered one of the most important productive sectors in the economy of most countries in general, and the developing ones in particular [1]. Agriculture plays a fundamental role in raising the economic and social level of farmers and constitutes a major source of national income, and a field for the work of the vast majority of the population of countries around the globe [2].

The agricultural sector in the Kurdistan Region plays an important role in the region’s economy, as it is responsible for achieving self-accumulation to develop itself and to secure a profuse used in the development of other sectors, in addition to providing food consumption requirements for all citizens and employing a lot of the workers [3].

The agricultural sector undertakes the following contributions:[4]

The contribution of agriculture to production local, the contribution of agriculture to the agri-food industries, as it works to secure the raw materials needed for it, and it also supplies agricultural industries factories with the raw materials needed for them, as is the case in tobacco, spinning and weaving factories, and others [1].

Since its inception, agricultural extension has had a role in bringing about agricultural and rural development, as it contributes to raising the economic efficiency of agricultural production through education and training activities and the transfer of technological information, which leads to improve agricultural production, increasing farmers’ incomes, and improving working conditions and economic conditions for agricultural workers. Countries of the world adopt it, expand its scope, use it, and secure its requirements to perform its functions in the best way [5].

The agricultural extension plays an important role in documenting the relationship between the technical of agriculture and farmers [5], as its mission is to simplify and transmit information and scientific research results and include them in extension programs, and use various extension methods and means to reach farmers adopt modern agricultural methods, and work to increase production, raise farm incomes, and improve the economic and social level of farmers [6].

The extension is responsible for the process of disseminating modern agricultural ideas and practices by transmitting research results to farmers in a simple and applicable way, persuading and teaching them to put them into practice in accordance with their conditions to achieve high productivity, raise the economic level, and adapt to new changes [7].

The importance of the research is evidenced by the basic roles; the agricultural extension apparatus plays in the process of economic development, as the extension process depends on the guide as a crucial element in field extension activities, and a main tool for the delivery of extension services to farmers, and the transfer of their needs and desires to the concerned authorities to address them and find solutions to them. This requires that extension workers, including extension agents, have certain characteristics, to be able to work with farmers successfully [1], [2], [3], [4], [5].

The extension programs are considered an essential and important element in the extension process (extension work), and to be able to assess his work and the extent to which he is able to perform his mission to the fullest, it is necessary to study the reality of the extension work [8].

The following are some defines about of research:

defines it as “an informal educational service performed outside of school for the purpose of training and influencing farmers and their families.” This is for the purpose of adopting improved means in agricultural production, both plant and animal, as well as in marketing, farm management, and soil conservation [9], [10].

The extension planning “Is group from the works or the process which it has been by limiting of the extension program exclusion steps and from within the work the commissions inside the agricultural extension and the farmers” [11], [12].

Definition of implementing agricultural extension work: “It is carrying out all the steps that were written in the planning process for agricultural extension work.” [13].

Define the extension evaluation: “Is the judgment on activity or value the extension program according to standards limited perceptible results” [14], [15].

Therefore, the research came to answer the following questions:

The study aims to focus on the following is identified:

2. RESEARCH METHOD

Research method: In the field, this research follows that the descriptive approach was used in the process of collecting data from the respondents (agricultural extension workers) because it is considered an appropriate method for obtaining data. This method is considered one of the branches of the curriculum and descriptive in social research [6].

Research population: The field survey was conducted in four regions: (Garmian, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Dohuk). The research included all agricultural extension specialists working at the General Authority for Agricultural Research and Extension and its branches, and the number of the research community reached 215 female agricultural extension workers [Table 1].

TABLE 1: Show the population and study sample of the respondents

Research sample: Sample of the respondents includes (71) representing 33% of the population, taken by a simple random sampling method as shown in Table 1.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

1. Identifying the reality of extension work (planning, implementation, and evaluation process):

The General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Extension carries out the planning, implementation, and evaluation process for all extension activities and works in cooperation with other agricultural departments and branches affiliated with the General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Extension in all governorates of the region.

Table 2 shows the reality of the extension work (the planning process), which includes a set of topics of the planning process for extension work that was covered by the study. The results of the study showed the percentages of this process (the planning process), which are as follows:

1. The percentage of the weak level ranges between 77 and 35%.

2. The percentage of the medium level ranges between 31 and 16%.

3. The percentage of good levels ranges between 34 and 7%.

TABLE 2: The reality of the extension work (planning process)

It used in conclusion from Table 2 is that more than half of the respondents (extension workers and agricultural engineers working in the Agricultural Research and Extension Directorate) described the reality of the extension work (the planning process) as weak.

Table 3 shows the reality of the extension work (implementation process), which includes a set of stages or topics of the implementation process of the extension work which were covered by the study and the results of the study showed the percentages of this process (implementation process), which are as follows:

TABLE 3: The reality of the extension work (implementation process)

It used in conclusion from Table 3 is that more than half of the respondents (extension workers and agricultural engineers working in the Agricultural Research and Extension Directorate) described the reality of the extension work (implementation process) as weak.

Table 4 shows the reality of the extension work (the evaluation process), which includes a group of stages or topics of the evaluation process for the extension work that was covered by the study, and the results of the study showed the percentages of this process (evaluation process), which are as follows:

TABLE 4: The reality of the extension work (evaluation process)

It used in conclusion from Table 4 is that more than half of the respondents (extension workers and agricultural engineers working in the Agricultural Research and Extension Directorate) described the reality of the extension work (evaluation process) as weak.

In general, it can be concluded from the tables with numbers 2–3–4 that the reality of extension work was described by the respondents (extension workers and agricultural engineers working in the Agricultural Research and Extension Directorate) as weak, and this weakness may be attributed to the reality of the work to the following reasons:

A group of the most important technical and administrative problems that the extension work suffers from has been identified or recognized, and the problems Table 5:

TABLE 5: The percentages of the most important problems facing the reality of extension work

4. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS