Exploring the Availability and Use of Agricultural Extension Services by Small-Scale Coffee Farmers in Al-Udein District, Ibb Governorate, Yemen

Abstract

This research aimed to study the availability of extension services that are provided to the coffee small-scale farmers in the Al-Udein district of Yemen. In addition, it outlines the other extension sources that farmers might depend on for the improvement of their knowledge and skills. The researchers found that the majority of respondents (70.8%) do not have access to any public institutions that provide extension services. Furthermore, the whole respondents (100%) stated that they are highly dependent on their experiences gained from the traditional practices. Moreover, more than (90%) of the respondents moderately depend on their friends and neighbors as a source of knowledge and skills. Furthermore, the researchers pointed out that (100%) of the respondents never depend on classical organizations as sources of agricultural extension knowledge. Additionally, (90%) of the respondents do not, at all, depend on agriculture exhibitions, agriculture films, printed materials, radio or TV programs as sources of knowledge and skills. However, (6.3%) of the respondents said that they are highly dependent on ‘WhatsApp’ as a source of knowledge. Finally, the researchers recommended that it is necessary to enhance the role of public extension services and encourage farmers to use the social media platforms and mobile phones in order to support the exchange of knowledge between extension services in one hand and between farmers themselves in the other hand which will led to enhancing the knowledge exchange process effectively and efficiently.

Keywords

• agriculture extension
• small-scale farmers
• coffee
• al-udein
• yemen