Measuring The Depth of Farmers’ Knowledge in Agricultural and Mechanical Control of Sorghum Pests in Rural Assiut Governorate

The study aimed to assess the depth of knowledge among farmers regarding agricultural and mechanical sorghum pest control in rural areas of Assiut Governorate. The study focused on identifying the levels of expertise among the surveyed farmers and examining how the information on agricultural and mechanical pest control recommendations is presented. A random sample of 347 sorghum farmers, representing 9.5% of the total population, was selected from Assiut Governorate. Data was collected using a questionnaire through personal interviews with the farmers between October and December 2023. The data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, and arithmetic averages through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).The results revealed that 96.0% of the respondents had a high overall knowledge depth. The four components of knowledge depth—recall, application, thinking, and extended thinking—were scored high on the scale, with percentages of 98.6%, 96%, 90.8%, and 83.9%, respectively. The findings also indicated that 63.7% of the respondents knew highly about agricultural and mechanical pest control recommendations. The format of knowledge presentation was also at a high level for 57.3% of the respondents. The study also recommended that communication channels should not be opened between agriculture advocacy and farmers, agricultural knowledge of the typical product of agricultural sources, and linking all sources of knowledge with previous agricultural and electronic experiences.