الفهرس 
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Abstract
Agricultural development in North Sinai Governorate is becoming more significant considering the National Project for Sinai Development. North Sinai Governorate also has a strategic importance due to its distinguished geographic location and its enormous, albeit unexploited, natural resources. Farming land area in North Sinai, which is about 275,000 feddans, is expected to be doubled by the provision of around 3.2 Billions Cubic Meters of irrigation water from El-Salam canal. North Sinai is also well-known for growing orchard crops. Land area planted with these crops reached 88247 feddans, representing around 28% of the total orchard area in Egypt in 2004. Plums, olives and cantaloupe are the most important orchard crops grown in North Sinai. Their production represents about 41%, 10% and 27%, successively, of the total production of these crops in Egypt. The potential production and income of these crops are not achieved since the wastes in the crops range from 20 to 30% of the total production. This waste could be attributed to lack of farmers’ knowledge and application of extension recommendations concerning different stages of production and marketing of these crops.
The problem of this study is to investigate the agricultural extension determinants of the economic returns of plums, olives and cantaloupe in North Sainai Governorate
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The objectives of this study could be summarized as follows:
1. To describe the characteristics of plums, olives and cantaloupe growers in North Sainai Governorate.
2. To identify the differences between progressive and traditional farmers growing these crops concerning demographic, economic, social and psychological characteristics.
3. To identify the differences between progressive and traditional growers of these crops concerning their knowledge and implementation of extension recommendations related with maximizing the economic returns from these crops.
4. To explore the relationship between the economic returns of the studied crops and the following characteristics:
• Farmer’s age,
• Farmer’s education,
• Farmer’s occupation,
• Family size,
• Family education,
• House condition,
• Average monthly income,
• Area of farming land,
• Animal wealth,
• Possession of farming machinery,
• Possession of domestic appliances,
• Farmer’s knowledge about public issues,
• Farmer’s interest about public issues,
• Farmer’s participation in civil society organizations,
• Farmer’s contribution in civil society organizations,
• Farmer’s attitudes toward agricultural innovations,
• Farmer’s attitudes toward social innovations,
• Farmer’s attitudes toward technological innovations,
• Farmer’s attitudes toward agricultural innovations,
• Farmer’s achievement motivation,
• Farmer’s attitudes toward agricultural extension,
• Contacts with services’ centers,
• Farmer’s knowledge about extension recommendations in the area of growing plums, olives and cantaloupe,
• Farmer’s implementation of extension recommendations in the area of growing plums, olives and cantaloupe,
5. To measure the relative contribution of the studied independent variables in the economic returns of the studied crops.
6. To suggest an extension program to maximize the economic returns of the studied crops.
The study was conducted in three Districts in North Sainai Governorate, namely: Al-Arish(Taweel), Sheikh Zowaied (Kharouba) aand Rafah(Gooz Aburaad). The total sample of the study is 262 traditional and progressive farmers, representing about 13% of total number of the growers of the three crops. This sample includes a systematic random sample of (172) traditional farmers, comprising 61, 53 and 58 farmers growing plums, olives and cantaloupe, successively, in addition to (90) progressive farmers growing the three crops, 30 farmers from each crop. Progressive farmers were selected, from the growers of each crop, according to the nominations of the Directorate of Agriculture, and the Agricultural Administration in each of the three Districts in addition to questions directed to all traditional farmers and some of the informants and opinion leaders in the studied areas.
A questionnaire was designed and pre-tested to achieve the study objectives. Data was collected from the respondents through personal interviews. Percentages, averages, Pearsonian correlation coefficient in addition to step-wise multiple correlation and regression analysis (forward solution), were utilized for data presentation and analysis.
The study includes five chapters in addition to appendices and a list of references. The first chapter involves an introduction, the problem statement and significance, and the study objectives. The second chapter is a review of the relevant literature in the areas of the economic returns from an extension point of view, the concepts of production and marketing efficiency the technical packages of recommendations for growing the studied crops, in addition to the results of extension studies in the area of the study. The third chapter describes the research methodology. The fourth chapter is a presentation and discussion of the research results. The fifth chapter is a summary of the study.
The most important results of the study are as follows:
1. Regarding cantaloupe, the study revealed statistically significant differences between progressive and traditional farmers concerning: farmer’s education, farmer’s occupation, average monthly income, area of farming land, animal wealth, possession of farming machinery, possession of domestic appliances, farmer’s knowledge about public issues, farmer’s participation in civil society organizations, farmer’s attitudes toward agricultural innovations, farmer’s attitudes toward social innovations, contacts with services’ centers, farmer’s knowledge about extension recommendations in the area of growing cantaloupe, and farmer’s implementation of extension recommendations in the area of growing cantaloupe.
2. Concerning olives, the study found statistically significant differences between progressive and traditional farmers regarding: farmer’s education, farmer’s age, family size, family education, house condition, average monthly income, area of farming land, animal wealth, possession of farming machinery, possession of domestic appliances, farmer’s participation in civil society organizations, farmer’s contribution in civil society organizations, farmer’s attitudes toward agricultural extension, farmer’s attitudes toward technological innovations, contacts with services’ centers, farmer’s knowledge about extension recommendations in the area of growing olives, and farmer’s implementation of extension recommendations in the area of growing olives.
3. As for plums, the study found statistically significant differences between progressive and traditional farmers regarding: farmer’s age, farmer’s education, farmer’s occupation, house condition, average monthly income, area of farming land, animal wealth, possession of farming machinery, possession of domestic appliances, Farmer’s interest about public issues, farmer’s participation in civil society organizations, farmer’s contribution in civil society organizations, farmer’s attitudes toward agricultural extension, farmer’s attitudes toward technological innovations, farmer’s attitudes toward agricultural innovations, contacts with services’ centers, farmer’s knowledge about extension recommendations in the area of growing plums, and farmer’s implementation of extension recommendations in the area of growing plums.
4. The study revealed statistically significant relationships between the economic returns from growing cantaloupe among progressive farmers and the following variables: house condition, contacts with services’ centers, farmer’s knowledge about extension recommendations, farmer’s age, and family education.
5. The study found statistically significant relationships between the economic returns from growing cantaloupe among traditional farmers and the following variables: farmer’s occupation, area of farming land, farmer’s attitudes toward social innovations.
6. The study revealed statistically significant relationships between the economic returns from growing olives among progressive farmers and the following variables: farmer’s occupation, average monthly income.
7. The study found statistically significant relationships between the economic returns from growing olives among traditional farmers and the following variables: family size, and farmer’s attitudes toward social innovations.
8. The study revealed statistically significant relationships between the economic returns from growing plums among progressive farmers and the following variables: area of farming land, animal wealth, farmer’s participation in civil society organizations, house condition, farmer’s knowledge about extension recommendations, and farmer’s occupation.
9. The study found statistically significant relationships between the economic returns from growing plums among traditional farmers and the following variables: average monthly income, farmer’s knowledge about extension recommendations, animal wealth, and possession of farming machinery.
10. Three independent variables contribute significantly (with about 53%) in the variation of the economic returns of cantaloupe among progressive farmers. They are: contacts with services centers (29%), farmer’s knowledge about extension recommendations (14%), and house condition (11%).
11. Three independent variables contribute significantly (with about 28%) in the variation of the economic returns of cantaloupe among traditional farmers. They are: farmer’s occupation (7%), farmer’s attitudes toward social innovations (14%), and possession of farming machinery (5%).
12. Two independent variables contribute significantly (with about 48%) in the variation of the economic returns of olives among progressive farmers. They are: farmer’s occupation (35%), and average monthly income (13%).
13. Two independent variables contribute significantly (with about 14%) in the variation of the economic returns of olives among traditional farmers. They are: family size (7%), and farmer’s participation in civil society organizations (7%).
14. Four independent variables contribute significantly (with about 70%) in the variation of the economic returns of plums among progressive farmers. They are: area of farming land (47%), animal wealth (10%), farmer’s knowledge about extension recommendations (7%), and house condition (6%).
a. Five independent variables contribute significantly (with about 51%) in the variation of the economic returns of plums among traditional farmers. They are: average monthly income (19%), farmer’s attitudes toward social innovations (12%), farmer’s knowledge about extension recommendations (10%), animal wealth (5%), and possession of farming machinery (5%),
The study suggested a model for an extension program to enhance the economic returns of the three studied crops. This program included a specific plan of work clarifying the educational objectives, extension methods and audio-visual aids to be utilized for disseminating the extension messages in addition to specific places, times and actors of all the activities in the plan.
The study suggested also some recommendations to assist the policy makers in the Governorate in upgrading the extension services provided to the growers of the three studied crops. The most important recommendations are:
• Emphasizing on the participation of all the stakeholders in the different stages of production and marketing of the studied crops as a key factor of their successful development.
• Providing the growers of the studied crops with timely and sufficient information, knowledge and extension services.
• Maximizing the benefits of progressive farmers as opinion leaders who can influence traditional farmers in their local communities to modernize their production and marketing practices.
• Conducting regular training courses, in the areas of science-based production and marketing, for the extension workers in the Governorate.