Comparative Analysis Of Public And Private Efs Interaction With The Farmers In The Core Cotton Zone Of Punjab, Pakistan

Farmers' interaction with the advisory services providers is much important, especially in the era when agriculture has become more challenging. In this study, we compared the use and effectiveness of different interaction methods used by the public and private sector Extension Field Staff (EFS...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inWebology Vol. 19; no. 3; pp. 1425 - 1437
Main Authors Khalid, Imran, Khan, Farhat Ullah, Latif, Muhammad, Siraj, Mahwish, Shahid, Shumila
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Tehran Dr. Alireza Noruzi, University of Tehran, Department of Library and Information Science 01.01.2022
Subjects
Access to information
Agricultural education
Agriculture
Comparative analysis
Cotton
Farmers
Pesticides
Private sector
Public sector
Sample size
Sampling techniques
Technological change
Pakistan
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Summary:Farmers' interaction with the advisory services providers is much important, especially in the era when agriculture has become more challenging. In this study, we compared the use and effectiveness of different interaction methods used by the public and private sector Extension Field Staff (EFS). This study was conducted in three districts Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan of the Punjab, province. A total of 480 respondents selected at random were interviewed face to face on a structured interview schedule. Collected data were analyzed through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). T-statistics were applied to compare the two sectors i.e. public and private EFS. Findings indicated that there was a statistically significant mean difference (P<0.05) regarding interaction methods such as farmer days, field visits, group meetings, demonstrations, seminars and the use of electronic media and social media. Among the different services provided by the public and private sector EFS indicating statistically significant mean difference (P<0.05) were demonstration, use of IPM, less use of pesticides, access to market, conservation of resources, access to inputs and weather forecasting services. Whereas, the public and private sectors had a non-significant mean difference regarding the clean cotton campaign and access to subsidies (P>0.05). the statistics confirmed that overall, the private sector EFS were more effective as compared to the public sector. This study suggests a proper selection of interaction methods to access the farmers. Moreover, the synergy between the two sectors could be more effective in making technical advice effective and paving the way towards environment and resource conservation. Effective integration of ICTs in the communication process is also highly recommended.
ISSN:1735-188X