Using Dichotomous Distribution to Assess the Efficiency and Social Modeling of Agricultural Extension Projects in the Islamic Republic of Iran

There is undoubtedly general agreement that the efficiency of educational investments should he maximized through the managerial process as far as possible. Agricultural extension is one of the crucial tasks in developing agricultural societies calling for considerable consumption of intellectual investment. The management of agricultural extension projects (AEPs) however, needs careful planning in utilizing this investment specially in terms of meeting the right clientele. This paper reports on the use of a statistical device which can be applied for planning the social modeling of agricultural extension programs. This statistical device, the so-called Dichotomous Distribution of the Extension Clientele (DDEC) was designed and used by the author to determine the social modeling of agricultural extension projects in Iran and the degree to which the extension projects have been successful in reaching their target clientele. The procedure consisted of four major criteria: farmers, educational needs, participation in AEP: access to utilities needed for adoption and utilization of the innovation (advice given by the extension agents). As a result of using this method and interviewing ۹۱۲ farmers throught ۵۷ randomly selected AEPs, it was found that ۶۶ percent of the projects in ۱۹۸۸ and ۶۰ percent in ۱۹۸۹ were thoroughly efficient, and ۱۶ percent in ۱۹۸۸ and ۱۲ percent in ۱۹۸۹ were efficient. Four projects in each year were found to have a very low efficiency rate while one project in ۱۹۸۸ and four projects in ۱۹۸۹ were inefficient in terms of their social modeling. This procedur has been applied to study the social modeling along with the efficiency of the extension projects dealing with the biological control of rice stenborer in eastern part of Mazandaran province where rice is the dominant cash crop. Acording to this result obtained from the recent research projects, it was shown that the less differences among the number of trained farmers and the target groups the more efficient were the extension project In addition, there was statistically significant difference among those of target groups and none target groups in term of applying the extension boicontrol guidlines in rice production practices. The related extension projects were also efficient (r=۰.۷۳) in term of their social modelings.