An Examination of Back Ground and Strategies for Privatization of Agricultural Extension

Abstract

Problem statement: Agricultural extension as an important tool to achieve food for people has always been faced with challenges. One of these challenges is relation to the privatization of agricultural extension which has been suggested in most countries due to inefficiency of governmental systems of agricultural extension and their financial problems. The main purpose of current study was to examination of background and strategies for privatization of agricultural extension from the View point of experts in Ilam province, Iran. On the based on research goal, current research was the type of applied research, in this study, due to the inability to fully control the independent variables; research method was the type of non-experimental research. Approach: This research has been done based on the descriptive research method. The statistical society of this study was included all of experts in the agricultural jihad organization of Ilam province. Sampling method for choosing statistical samples was census in expert’s community. Sample size was calculated to help the Cochran formula for the number of 76 experts. The Main tools of current research for gathering information was a questionnaire was developed that made the research and theoretical literature from interviews with experts and it was used to determine the validity of the panel of experts. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used and data was analyzed by spss 19. Results: The results showed that the experts in the field of Extension and privatization have a positive attitude. And believe that the type of operating systems, familiarity of farmers with extension, type of association, type of operation, land area and academic experts in the field, are positively associated with the possibility to privatization. Best approaches from the view of experts for the privatization are those costs paid by the government and providing services from the private sector. In this regard, giving subsidies to farmers, the most appropriate approach from the view of experts. In terms of the payment methods, farmers were demanding loans from the government. And tended that cooperate with the private sector in the preparation of inputs, land preparation and planting. Conclusion/Recommendations: The most important factor in the privatization of agricultural extension was knowledge and experience of the extension agent of private sector. In general, privatization was appropriate for areas that have grown large and commercial farmers and agricultural conditions were in terms of satisfactory.