Challenges in Rural Youth Capacity Development Programs within Iran's Agricultural Extension System

Rural youth, regarded as the future workforce in agriculture and the driving force behind rural development, play a crucial role in achieving sustainable progress. Despite the expectation that Iran's agricultural extension system would hold a pivotal position in the development of human resources in the agricultural sector, it has encountered various challenges. This research aimed to identify the obstacles facing rural youth capacity development programs within Iran's agricultural extension system, utilizing a qualitative approach. Employing purposive sampling and theoretical saturation criteria, 24 participants, including faculty members, managers, and relevant experts, were selected for the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect pertinent information. Data analysis employed qualitative content analysis with systematic coding, facilitated by Maxqda 12 software. The findings revealed a total of 68 challenges categorized into two main components: 1) Challenges associated with the agricultural extension and education system, encompassing institutional-organizational, cultural-social, human resources, and scientific-specialized sub-components, and 2) Major challenges linked to rural villages and societies, comprising policy and planning, spatial, economic, educational, and cultural-social sub-components. To overcome these challenges and enhance the role of the agricultural extension system, recommendations are made based on the research findings. Successful capacity development in rural youth necessitates formal and long-term planning, involving active participation from all relevant institutions and organizations, with clearly defined roles and functions for each.