FARMERS’ PREFERENCES OF THE INSTITUTIONAL REFORM SCENARIOS OF PROVIDING AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICES IN SOHAG, KAFR EL SHIEKH, AND SHARQIEA GOVERNORATES IN EGYPT

The current Agricultural Extension (AE) system in Egypt is facing several challenges that hinder effective reaching to small landholders in the Delta and the Nile Valley of Egypt. Among these challenges are the ever-decreasing numbers of extension agents and the shrinking budgets. Along with the other contextual changes, this system needs drastic changes and rearrangements to face these challenges. This study investigated farmers’ preference of three suggested scenarios for reforming the AE system. The study was conducted in three Governorates, namely: Sohag, Kafr El-Sheikh, and Sharqeia. One District was randomly selected in each Governorate, namely: El-Maragha, Kafr ElSheikh and Monshaat Omar, respectively. One village was randomly selected each of the selected Districts, namely: El-Shorania, Kafr Matboul and Monshaat Omar, respectively. The data were collected by applying a questionnaire in personal interviews with a random sample of 316 farmers, representing about 10% of the total population of farmers in the three selected villages. Frequencies, percentages , standard deviations and Chi-Square were utilized for data presentation and analysis. The results revealed that strengthening the current public agricultural extension organization was the scenario preferred by the majority (67.4%) of the respondents. Public-Private Partnership through partnership between the public governmental and private sectors was the second preference for the respondents (28.5%). Privatization of the agricultural extension organization was the least preferred by the respondents, as reported by only 3%.