An Analysis of the Participation of People Organizations in Extension Programs Concerning Sustainable Rural Development: A Case Study of Islamic Rural Councils of Miandoab and Shahindej Counties in Iran

The purpose of this study, is to analyze the participation of Islamic Councils in extension programs concerning sustainable rural development. The statistical population consisted of 264 members of Islamic council of Barogh district of Miandoab county and Keshavarz district of Shahindej county. Out of this, 122 members were selected using Cochran formula and random sampling. This survey was a descriptive-correlational study. The results indicated that 70 percent of councils had participated highly in extension programs. Variables that had significant influence on participation included: incentives, council member's knowledge of sustainable development, and educational needs. 48 percent of variations in the council participation in extension programs could be explained by the entered variables in the multivariate regression test.