Planning an extension program to promote date palm production in the New Valley Governorate

The objective of this research paper was to design an extension program aimed at improving the production of date palms in New Valley Governorate. New Valley Governorate comprises five administrative centers. Al-Dakhla Center was selected using a simple random sampling method. Similarly, Ezab Al-Qasr village was chosen randomly. A census of date palm growers in the village revealed 1,685 holders, from which a simple random sample of 10% was drawn, resulting in 172 holders who constituted the target research sample. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire through personal interviews during November and December 2024. Statistical tools employed included percentages, mean, standard deviation, range, frequency tables, Pearson’s simple correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression analysis. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Key findings: • The scores representing farmers’ overall knowledge and overall implementation of extension recommendations for date palm production ranged between 39 and 78 points, with an average of 69.3 points and a standard deviation of 4.82 for knowledge, and an average of 62.13 points with a standard deviation of 10.52 for implementation. Distribution by knowledge level showed that 54.2% of respondents had low to moderate overall knowledge of extension recommendations, while 49.4% had low to moderate implementation levels. • Results indicated that 58.7% of surveyed farmers faced moderate problems in date palm production, 27.3% faced high-level problems, and only 14% faced low-level problems. These findings highlight multiple challenges confronting farmers, necessitating greater extension support to address these issues.