Educational needs assessment of rice supervising agents regarding multifunctional agriculture in Guilan Province, Iran

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify rice supervising agents' educational needs in the field of multifunctional agriculture in Guilan Province, Iran. The statistical population included rice supervising agents in Guilan Province in 2014 (N = 169), of which 106 people were randomly sampled. The data collection tool was a research-designed questionnaire which was filled out by respondents using the self-reporting method. Results showed that among production functions of agriculture, rice supervising agents had a high need to be trained in the functions of "the production of raw material for rural handicrafts," "the production of animal feed," and "the production of medicinal herbs for medical and pharmaceutical purposes." Participants' needs for training in nonproduction functions of agriculture were ranked by the Friedman test; results indicated a great need for education in the environmental functions of agriculture and a lesser need for education in its economic functions.