Perceptions of Agricultural Extension Agents' Inservice Training Needs within the National Agency for Rural Development in the Republic of Moldova

Abstract

The world today is at an accelerated state of change. No longer do we receive a sufficient amount of education in our youth to allow us to be successful as adults. This rapid state of change seen in the world today drives a constant need for lifelong learning. It is not only important for organizations to provide inservice training to their employees, but also to provide inservice training that is effective. Agricultural extension agencies in developing nations are no exception. Extension staff must be technically proficient in a variety of different areas and must have the opportunity to increase their competency while on the job. The National Agency for Rural Development (ACSA) is a non-governmental, non-profit and non-political extension agency in the Republic of Moldova which provides a variety of agricultural advisory services to the communities it serves. The purpose of this study was to assess inservice training needs of agricultural extension agents employed by ACSA.

Two hundred and ninety one of the 425 ACSA extension agents were randomly selected to participate in this study. Of the 291 selected, 223 were able to be contacted. Of these, 115 responded (51.6%). The Borich Model of Needs Assessment was employed to determine the specific inservice training needs of extension agents employed by ACSA. Forty one competency statements were developed and categorized into three constructs: organizational knowledge, program development and implementation, and personal development. Data were collected through electronic surveying methodology. Data analysis included the calculation of mean weighted discrepancy scores, means, standard deviations, and a t-test to address non-response error.

The study identified the greatest need for training in ACSA as using professional networks to enhance programs. It also identified opportunity to increase the visibility of the organization and expand ACSA’s programming into new areas.