THE REALITY OF EXTENSION ACTIVITIES PROVIDED BY EXTENSION CENTERS FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF FARMERS IN HALABJA GOVERNORATE

The research sought to examine the current state of agricultural extension services offered by agricultural extension centers, as perceived by farmers in Halabja Governorate. It also aimed to assess the level of satisfaction among farmers regarding the performance of agricultural extension workers. Additionally, the research aimed to identify the variations in farmers' perspectives on the agricultural extension activities provided by these centers, based on different research variables. Data were gathered through a structured questionnaire and personal interviews conducted with a simple random sample of the research population, comprising 126 farmers. This sample represented 17.5% of the total research population. The research findings indicated that, from the farmers' perspective, the effectiveness of the extension activities provided by the extension centers is perceived to be very low. Additionally, the level of farmers' satisfaction with the performance of agricultural extension workers is low, with a tendency towards being average, as will as there is no variation among farmers in the extension activities provided by the extension centers according to the research variables (Age, Gender, Social Status, Years of agricultural experience, Size of farm holding, Type of farm holding, Participation in training courses), while there is variation according to two variables (Educational attainment, sources of agricultural information), Therefore, researchers recommend the need to provide continuous training programs for farmers and agricultural guides to ensure updating knowledge and skills, work to build trust between extension centers and farmers by providing reliable and effective services, and use modern technologies in disseminating agricultural information and guidance.