International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development

author(s)
AWS Ragheb Hashim and Abdal Aziz Hameed Midhss Aljubory

abstract
This study aimed to analyze the educational and cultural reasons that contribute to farmers' reluctance to participate in agricultural extension activities organized by the Nineveh Agriculture Directorate and its affiliated agricultural divisions. Data were collected from a stratified random sample of (377) farmers from the study population of (21,450) farmers. A questionnaire was used, prepared for this purpose, and its validity and reliability were verified using Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.82), which reflects a high degree of reliability. The results showed that the most prominent educational and cultural reasons were the weak interaction between farmers and extension activities as a result of adopting traditional presentation methods, little use of modern educational methods, and the inappropriateness of the extension content to the needs and level of education of farmers. The results also indicated that the lack of interactive training and weak communication skills of some agricultural extension workers are influential factors, requiring the development of methods for delivering extension activities using interactive methods and non-traditional education. There is a clear lack of engagement with activities due to poor education or a weak agricultural culture. The knowledge gap also prevents farmers from understanding the importance of extension messages.