الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Wheat is the first stable food crop in Egypt, since bread is ever available and indispensable for the poor and the rich alike in every meal. Wheat is essential in making pasta and desserts. Wheat production is inadequate to meet Egypt’s consumption needs, hence a food gap of four million ton/year was created and large sums of foreign currency and a deficit on trade balance emerged as a result . To achieve self‐sufficiency of wheat production, effective dynamics are being underway in two major directions, i.e. the first through the vertical expansion in terms of increasing wheat yield per faddan via creating high yield of high resistance to pests and disease varieties, proper applying of manure and chemical fertilizers, optimum use of irrigating water, agricultural mechanization pre and post harvesting and proper storage of wheat crop, meanwhile, horizontal expansion via increasing the area grown with wheat in the newly reclaimed lands is the second direction to be undertaken. Wheat is now a rain‐fed crop grown in around 21 thousands faddans along the Northwest Coast, supplementary irrigation is provided, minimizing crop los during harvest and marketing are required as well as increasing the area grown with wheat via increasing the incentive pricing. Therefore, agricultural extension is a major reliable approach in realizing agricultural development in terms of increasing agricultural crops in general and grain crops in particular, since agricultural extension represents and integrated educational system to the official education with a view to prepare farmers to deal with the environmental conditions and have the ability to make change through education and cooperation with the other systems which provide farmers with knowledge, skills and positive attitude which help increase their environmental awareness. Hence, comes the importance of the vital role of agricultural extension via creating several programs on environmental extension that are based on exploring the aspects of the current environmental status to handle the weaknesses and failure in the absence of the environmental information systems. So, the efficiency of the agricultural extension system depends on orienting the farmers toward developing the environmental awareness of rain‐fed wheat growers so as to do the farm work in a clean, pollution free agricultural environment. In conformity with the research problem, the study objectives were focused on the following aspects: 1‐ Identifying the role of agricultural extension in developing the environmental awareness of rain‐fed wheat growers at the study area (from their point of view), via the following objectives: A‐ To get to know the respondents’ opinion about the efficiency of the agricultural extension to perform its role toward enhancing the environmental awareness of rain‐fed wheat growers B‐ To recognize the level of growers’ knowledge to the environmental and technical practices of rain‐fed wheat growing. C‐ To identify the level of growers’ implementing the environmental and technical of rain‐fed wheat growing. D‐ To identify the sources of growers’ knowledge to the environmental and technical practices of rain‐fed wheat growing. E‐ To get to know the sources of convincing growers to implement the environmental and technical practices of rain‐fed wheat growers. 2‐ Defining the relationship between the degree that express the role of agricultural extension as a dependent variable and the studied independent variables by means of: A‐ To define the relationship between respondents’ opinion concerning the role of agricultural extension performed toward improving the environmental awareness of rainfed growers as dependent variable and the studied independent variables. B‐ To define the relationship between the level of growers’ knowledge to the environmental and technical practices as dependent variable and the studied independent variables. C‐ To define the relationship between the level of growers’ implementing the environmental and technical of rain‐fed wheat growing as dependent variable and the studied independent variables. 3‐ Recognizing the production and environmental problems that face rain‐fed wheat growers. 4‐ Proposing a future work plan to rectify the role of agricultural extension to enhance environmental awareness for rain‐fed wheat growers at the study area. To realize the study objectives, the geographic and human field as follows: the geographic field was represented in Matroh Governorate as the biggest areas grown as a rainfed crop in 21 thousands faddans with an average yield of 2.5 Ardeb, whereas the total yield of wheat crop for the last winter season was around 138960 KG. The human from included all rain‐fed wheat growers in all Matroh Centers i.e.( Al Hammam, Al Alamain, Al Dabaa, Marsa Matroh, Al Negeila, Sidi Barani and Al Saloum) as the number of growers was 1471, 73, 385, 139, 748 and 1240 respectively, the total number of growers was 4056, a simple randomized sample of 351 wheat growers respondents representing 8.65 % of the total sample as 127 respondents at Al Hammam Center, 7 ones at Al Alamain, 33 ones at Al Dabaa, 12 ones at Marsa Matrouh, 65 ones at Al Negeila and 107 respondents at Sidi Barani and Al Saloum. The study adopted the social survey method through selecting a randomized sample of rain‐fed wheat growers in Matroh Governorate, the quantitative method was also adopted to obtain the results and indications from previous information, facts and studies. The analytical method was used to process the data collected by the study to do the statistical analysis of the mathematical patterns and the statistical hypotheses as well. To study the relationship between the studied independent variables and the dependent variables, the theoretical and statistical hypotheses that can describe the type of such relation were derived, as well as to achieve the study objectives, so three general hypotheses were formed, out of which 78 statistical hypotheses was created. Data were collected during the period from Dec 2012 until Feb 2013 vie personal interviews using questionnaire form. The study concluded the following results: 1‐ Indication of how efficiently the agricultural extension is performing its role in developing the environmental awareness of rain‐fed wheat growers Came under the low category of 65.2% results showed that most of respondents the indication of the role of agricultural extension in raising environmental awareness of rain‐fed wheat growers, when adding the medium category, the percentage would reach 92.3% of the total study sample, indicating the low performance done by agricultural extension from respondent’ viewpoint. There were seven independent variables out of the total explain about 45.1% of the variance in the role of agricultural extension toward raising environmental awareness of rainfed wheat growers ( the first dependent variable) of the study sample using the Step‐Wise analysis i.e. official social participation, sources of agricultural information, attitude toward agricultural extension, area grown with rain‐fed wheat, renovation, tendency toward agricultural updates and change preparedness. 2‐ The level of grower’s knowledge to the environmental and technical practices of rain‐fed wheat growing. Results showed that most of the respondents (87.5%) came under the medium category of the indicator of the level of growers’ knowledge to environmental and technical practices of rain‐fed wheat growing, together with the low category percentage of the indicator, it would come to (92.9%) of the total study sample, indicating the low level of respondent’s knowledge to the optimum practices of rain‐fed wheat growing. There were eight independent variables out of the total studied independent ones explain about 78.1% of the variation in the degree of level of respondent’s knowledge to the environmental and technical practices of rain‐fed wheat growing ( the second dependent variable) of the study sample using the Step‐Wise analysis method, i.e. years of experience in growing rain‐fed wheat, source of agricultural information, tendency toward applying agricultural technology updates, official social participation, area grown with rain‐fed wheat, the minor occupation, change preparedness and years of experience in agricultural work. . 3‐ The growers’ level of implementing the environmental and technical practices of growing rain‐fed wheat . Results showed that most of respondents (82.1%) fell under the medium category the indicator of growers’ level of implementing the environmental and technical practices of rain‐fed wheat growing, adding the low category of the indicator increased the percentage to( 94.9%) of the total study sample, indicating the low level of implementing such practices by respondents. There was seven independent variables of the total studied independent ones that explain about 55.2% of the total variation in the degree of growers’ level of implementing such practices (3rd dependent variable) using the Step‐Wise analysis i.e. years of experience in growing rain‐fed wheat, years of experience in the farming work, official social participation, area grown with rain‐fed wheat, readiness to change sources of agricultural information and the second occupation. 4 ‐ Indication of the sources of respondent’s knowledge of environmental and technical recommendations of growing rain‐fed wheat . Results indicated that sources of respondents’ knowledge to such practices vary with the different agricultural practices, some practices were of government extensional sources (agricultural guide, agronomist, research stations researchers, staff at the College of Agriculture, government media and some were of non‐government extensional sources (personal expertise, friends and neighbors, owners of agricultural supply stores) It also showed that government extensional sourced topped the following practices: sowing date with 59.8%, varieties with 85.5%, seed amount with 84.9%, seed preparation before planting with57.3%, supplementary irrigation with 59.2%, weed control with 82.6%, harvesting with 80.0%, whereas the non‐government extensional sources topped the following operations: planting method with 56.7%, tilling with 79.8% and fertilizing with 82.6%. 5‐ The sources of convincing respondents to implement the environmental and technical practices of growing rain‐fed wheat. . Results indicated that sources of convincing the respondents to carry out the environmental and technical practices of growing rain‐fed wheat vary with the different farming operation, some came from government extensional sources (agricultural guide, agronomist, research stations researchers, staff at the College of Agriculture, government media and some were of non‐government extensional sources (personal expertise, friends and neighbors, owners of agricultural supply stores), It also showed that government extensional sourced topped the following practices: sowing date with 56.9%, varieties with 82.6%, seed amount with 80.1%, seed preparation before planting with 51.3%, supplementary irrigation with 53.8%, weed control with 57.3%, harvesting with 51.8%, whereas the non‐government extensional sources topped the following operations: planting method with 51.6%, tilling with 56.9% and fertilizing with 56.9%. 6‐ Production and environment problems that respondents face in growing rain‐fed wheat, and their solving suggestions. Respondents mentioned 9 problems in terms of growing rain‐fed wheat at the study area as follows: lack of rainfall prediction with 85.7%, traders’ manipulating of buying wheat at low prices with 58.4%, the poor government services rendered to rain‐fed wheat growers at the study area with 54.4%, inefficient pesticides sold at the agricultural supply stores with 51.3%, lack of agricultural skilled labor in growing rain‐fed wheat with 50.1%, pesticides side effects to the environment of growing rain‐fed wheat with 42.7%, insufficient agricultural extension staff who work in growing rain‐fed wheat with28.89% and exploiting the high rainfall rate coastal areas for tourism purposes with 23.9%. Respondents also reported 8 suggestions to overcome production and environment problems in terms of growing rain‐fed wheat at the study area as follows: spread the rainfall dates at the required amount for growing rain‐red wheat at the study area with 85.7%, rainfall catchments to supplement the irrigation of wheat with 77.2%, step up the extension activities rendered by extension staff to rain‐fed wheat growers with 54.7%, increasing the government services with 54.4%, providing skilled labor for growing rain‐fed wheat with 50.1%, minimizing the application of pesticides with 46.4%, minimizing the application of mineral fertilizers with 42.7%, passing the laws that ban utilizing the coastal areas of the high rainfall rate for non‐agricultural purposes with 23.9%. 7‐ Future work plan for agricultural extension to raise the environmental awareness of rain‐fed wheat growers at the study area Since the study aims at adjusting the role of agriculture extension toward raising the environmental awareness of rain‐fed wheat growers in Matroh Governorate, and the results that showed that (92.3 %) of respondents mentioned that the role of agricultural extension fell under the moderate and low categories besides that (92.9%) fell under the medium and low categories to the environmental and technical practices and that (94.9%) fell under the medium and low implementing categories, so, the study concluded that the agricultural extension intensify its role in disseminating the growing of rain‐fed wheat among the farmers and implement that practices in their fields via conducting the current and future activities and extensional duties by means of setting an extensional work plan in the form of extensional messages to be guidance when setting the agricultural program to upgrade and develop rain‐fed growing at the study area. The study concluded the following recommendations that help enhance the performance of agricultural extension toward raising environmental awareness of rainfed wheat growers in Matroh Governorate : 1‐ Agricultural extension staff at that area are to consider the means that help upgrade the performance of agriculture extension through holding extension symposiums and workshops, particularly during the production season of growing rain‐fed wheat to train the growers on the latest techniques of growing rainfed wheat. 2‐ Since most of the respondents of rain‐fed wheat growers fell under the moderate and low categories of knowledge and implementation, so intensive agricultural efforts are to be done to spread the practices of growing rain‐fed wheat via activities and programs that convince farmers to adopt them to increase their income and raise their living standard as a result. 3‐ The agricultural extension system has to create other sources and means that provide the farmers with the knowledge and practices, kens and neighbors are important sources, indicating the importance of the local leaders and provide them with the technical pamphlets and recommendations that are related to all the agricultural production and conduct symposiums and training courses to get to know their viewpoints and attitudes toward such recommendations. 4‐ To help growers in Matroh to tackle their problems via the interest to implement the following suggestions: spreading the dates of rainfall at the required amounts for growing rain‐fed wheat, catching rainfall water to be used as supplementary irrigation to rain‐fed wheat fields, step up government services, providing the skilled labor for growing rain‐fed wheat , minimize the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers for their harm on the environment, issuing laws to ban using the coastal areas of high rainfall rate in non‐agricultural purposes. 5‐The future studies on rectifying the role of agricultural extension are to focus on the farmers‐related variables that are not included in the study and possible of the role of agricultural extension in improving the agricultural production in Matroh Governorate or the other desert areas that are similar to it. 6‐ Conducting similar studies to include the different agricultural activities conducted by agricultural extension in the new lands so that real indications can be created to uplift the agricultural extension work and enhancing its role in achieving development in the new lands. |