Level application of communication technologies for agricultural extension agents in their field of work in the agricultural divisions / Nineveh Governorate

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which agricultural extension agents in the Nineveh Governorate's agricultural divisions use communication technology in their line of work. Additionally, the research aimed to ascertain the relationship between the use of communication technology and many factors, such as academic specialization, years of service, training programs, age, and educational background. The study also sought to determine the primary issues extension workers had while using communication technology in their line of work. All agricultural extension workers in the Directorate of Agriculture of Nineveh and its connected branches, as well as personnel at the Agricultural Extension Centre in Nineveh and its attached demonstration farms, participated in the research, which was carried out in the Nineveh Governorate. 290 agricultural workers employed by the main directorate and its 32 subsidiaries made up the study population. A study sample of 116 respondents was obtained by selecting a simple random sample of 40%. All sample members—with the exception of 30 respondents who were employed to assess the instrument's reliability—were given a questionnaire. To gauge how much agricultural extension workers use communication technology, a unique questionnaire was created. The questionnaire was divided into two sections: the first portion examined independent factors pertaining to personal and professional information, and the second half featured a 34-item scale to gauge how often they used communication technology at work. Cronbach's Alpha was used to determine the instrument's reliability coefficient, and the result was 0.92. The research came to a number of conclusions, chief among them being that respondents' use of communication devices was moderate to high. It also showed that the use of communication technology in extension work was not directly correlated with factors like age, academic specialization, or training programs.