E-Extension and Digital Augmentation of the Egyptian Agricultural Sector

Abstract

A major challenge is how to create authentic information and innovations for agricultural extension in the digital age. It can be challenging for extension agents and agriculture extension workers to provide farmers with the knowledge and innovations they need given the limited resources available. Many development projects that were planned outside of the village turned out to be unfamiliar with its issues and needs, making them less effective in resolving the farmers' agricultural concerns, particularly those related to agricultural operations. Due to the high percentage of illiteracy among farmers and the declining number of extension officers in Egypt, most farmers do not receive agricultural advice, which lowers crop yields. Therefore, even if e-extension was the keystone to enabling extension workers and farmers to distribute information to the farmers through voice messages and other means, the current situation depends on closing the knowledge gap among end users (farmers). The use of participatory action research in this study was focused on the agricultural community. By utilizing the impact of social media and cyber extensions, new information was disclosed on how ready decision makers, extension workers, and farmers were to be employed for e-extension. One option to adapt to the fall in the number of extension workers is to use cyber extensions or other digital information media, together with additional supporting media that can help the employees disseminate information and carry out their jobs. This study also highlighted the kinds of digital communications, platforms, and content that farmers actually required in order for the new normal period to be more beneficial to agricultural productivity. The outcome was positive because it showed that extension agents had the tools they needed to teach farmers in the new normal era and that they were prepared for the digital era. Farmers require assistance with their farming operations as well as knowledge of how to control weeds, plant diseases, and pests. The study also identified the most efficient electronic agricultural extension methods that farmers will favor going forward. These findings will be the main guiding principle for future work in Egypt on electronic agricultural extension.