The Knowledge of Agricultural Ministry Experts on Organic Agriculture

Among all methods، organic agriculture is one of the ways that protects the environment. Given the important role of agriculture experts in promoting organic agriculture، and the importance of the experts’ knowledge in this field، the present study aimed to assess the knowledge of experts of the ministry of agriculture on organic agriculture in 2011. This was a descriptive correlational study. The study population was experts who worked at agricultural ministry and the method of sampling was stratified sampling. The size of statistical sample was calculated 154 persons by Cochran table. Researcher made questionnaire was used to collect data. Validity and reliability were confirmed. SPSS19 software was used for data analyzing. The mean age of experts was 44 years and the youngest and oldest persons were 30 and 60 years old. Overall، the experts had an average knowledge about organic agriculture goals but they had a high knowledge about organic agriculture principles particularly about health principle. There was a significant positive correlation between experts’ knowledge and the number of training courses. The results showed an average knowledge of the experts regarding organic agriculture. They had more knowledge about common categories than specialized categories. This can be grounds for better training programs. Regarding the findings of the correlation، the training courses increase the experts’ knowledge on organic agriculture and it should be considered in the educational programs.