Knowledge and dissemination of sustainable agriculture practices by county extension agents in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of knowledge and preparation that Extension educators possess concerning the numerous dimensions of sustainable agriculture. From this information, a relationship between the amount of education that Extension educators receive about sustainable agriculture and the amount of information that Extension educators offer to their clientele about this topic was determined. Part-time agriculturalists were perceived to attend workshops/meetings based on sustainable agriculture practices, use more fact sheets or publications on the concepts of sustainable agriculture, and, in turn, apply more concepts of sustainable agriculture. Full-time agriculturalists were attending the workshops and/or meetings and were receiving the fact sheets based on the concepts of sustainable agriculture, but were not perceived by Extension agents in their county to be participating in sustainable practices. Extension agents also need to follow-up on sustainable agriculture workshop participants to ensure that their audience understands the concepts of sustainable agriculture and are putting these concepts to practice

Knowledge of Sustainable Agriculture Practices by Extension Agents in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia

The purpose of the study reported here was to determine the level of knowledge and attitudes that Extension educators possess concerning the numerous dimensions of sustainable agriculture. A descriptive research design was used to collect data from Extension agents in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Extension agents were familiar with and associated terms such as environmental protection, small-scale agriculture, profitability, low chemical input, productivity, and organic farming with sustainable agriculture. Extension agents also expressed a need for training in a number of areas related to sustainable agriculture and its practices