Factors Influencing the Design of Agricultural Advisory Service Network in the West Azerbaijan Province

Abstract

The major purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing the design of agricultural<br />advisory service network in the West Azerbaijan province of Iran. The population of this<br />research consisted of consultants who provided services to farmers. By using a Cochran<br />formula, 306 respondents were selected. The results showed that consultants faced many<br />obstacles such as lack of necessary facilities, illiteracy of farmers and lack of cooperation<br />among related institutions and organizations. Results also showed that factors influencing<br />effectiveness of network included economic, extension-educational, policy-making, sociocultural,<br />managerial and infrastructure factors. These six factors accounted for 59 percent of<br />the variance in the effectiveness of advisory services.