Analysis of the Effects of Extension and Training Courses on the Transfer of Integrated Pest Management Findings among Rice Farmers in Mazandaran Province

Informing the practitioners and implementers of extension and training programs about the effects of implemented programs is one of the most important components of designing and implementation educational programs. Based on this, the present research analyzed the effects of extension and training courses on the integrated pest management (IPM) knowledge transfer to the rice farmers of Mazandaran province using the Kirkpatrick model. This study was carried out using a quantitative and survey method. Statistical population consisted of two groups: the first group consisted of rice farmers who participated in the IPM extension and training courses during the last five years up to one year before the implementation of this study (N=250), and using the Krejcie & Morgan table, 146 rice farmers were selected and examined through random sampling method. The second group included 70 managers and experts involved in the implementation of the extension and training courses, among which 51 people participated in this study by census method. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire based on the Kirkpatrick's four-level model, the validity of which was confirmed by a panel of experts from the Rice Research Institute of Iran, Deputy of Mazandaran, and the Mazandaran Agricultural Jihad Organization. Its reliability was confirmed through calculating the Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.89). Results in the first level of the Kirkpatrick’s model implied that the rice farmers had a positive feeling (reaction) towards the extension and training courses with 99% confidence. In the second level, the results showed that the knowledge and awareness of rice farmers had significantly increased compared to their corresponding awareness before attending the courses with a significant difference in the error level of 1%. According to the findings of the third (behavior) and fourth (results) levels, it can be claimed, with 99% confidence, that the IPM extension and training courses had been able to create positive pro-environmental changes in the behavior of rice farmers, and it has brought about significant achievements for them.