Awareness of farmers regarding extension services in Afghanistan

Agriculture is deemed important in Afghanistan especially to achieve food security. The agricultural extension department is destined to assist farmers by making them aware of the new technologies and ways of improving crop production. This study was conducted to explore the awareness level of farmers about the different services rendered by the extension field staff. A total of 150 randomly selected farmers were interviewed on a validated and reliable interview schedule face to face. Collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results confirmed that Farmers had a high level of awareness about the promotion of Good Agricultural Practices and the cultivation of alternate crops. Whereas, awareness regarding water-saving methods, high-value crops, irrigation practices and climate challenges was medium. This study opined that farmers need more awareness about climate change and adaptation measures followed by the use of ICT-based gadgets to access desired information. Therefore, the integration of ICTs in communication channels used by extension staff is suggested to disseminate the desired information on a large scale.