The Role of Electronic Media in Developing the Awareness of Extension Leaders about some Agricultural Crises at Kafrelsheikh Governorate

Abstract

This paper aimed to investigate the role of electronic media in educating agricultural extension leaders about agricultural crises at Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate. A random sample of 67 extension leaders from six extension centers was selected, and data were collected using a personal questionnaire and analyzed statistically. Results showed that 52.2% of respondents believed electronic media had no current role in raising their awareness of agricultural crises, while 19.4% reported a low impact, 16.4% moderate, and only 11.9% high. The main reasons for using electronic media were rapid information dissemination (97%), highlighting reactions to research findings application (92.5%), informing the community about agricultural crises (89.6%), reaching many counselors quickly (88.1%), and addressing the shortage of extension workers (85.1%). The most important audiovisual formats were broadcasting extension meetings and seminars (M = 16.3), producing documentaries (M = 16), and conducting journalistic investigations (M = 15.8) on agricultural crises. Results also indicated a positive correlation (r =.72) between extension leaders' level of electronic media use and their crisis awareness. The study found that 78% of respondents preferred smartphones for accessing electronic media content, followed by laptops (15%) and tablets (7%). Based on these findings, the research recommends enhancing the use of electronic media in disseminating agricultural crisis information, developing content focused on broadcasting meetings and producing educational films, training extension leaders in effective media use, and establishing specialized electronic platforms for information exchange. The main recommendation is to foster collaboration between extension institutions and electronic media outlets.