IN-SERVICE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF AGRICULTURAL OFFICERS FOR ADAPTATION OF REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGY FOR PRECISION AGRICULTURE IN BALOCHISTAN-PAKISTAN

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1 Sarhad J. Agric. Vol.28, No.2, 2012 IN-SERVICE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF AGRICULTURAL OFFICERS FOR ADAPTATION OF REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGY FOR PRECISION AGRICULTURE IN BALOCHISTAN-PAKISTAN EJAZ ASHRAF*, GARY B. JACKSON** and ANEELA AFZAL*** * University College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Punjab Pakistan. ** School of Human Sciences, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Mississippi State University USA. *** Department of Sociology, PMAS-Arid Agriculture, University Rawalpindi Pakistan. ejazashraf60@hotmail.com ABSTRCT The study was carried out in Balochistan, Pakistan in 2006 to asses the knowledge level of agricultural officers for usage of remote sensing and other spatial technologies and to determine their educational needs for precision agriculture through remote sensing. The use of remote sensing and other spatial technologies is limited in agriculture and natural resources. The relationships among different factors those were directly related to the knowledge level of the agricultural officers were examined. Initially, a group of 280 respondents was randomly selected from 1,028 agricultural officers based on the table provided by Krejcie and Morgan (1970). The analysis showed that average job experience was 11 years. The regression analysis indicated that training, information sources, and experience were the main predictors in the model and explained 79.7% of variance in the dependent variable of competence. The training opportunities and the information sources play a significant role in the enhancement of competencies of agricultural officers in remote sensing. Key Words: Competencies, Remote sensing, Extension, Precision Agriculture, Balochistan, Pakistan. Citation: Ashraf, E., G.B. Jackson and A. Afzal In-service educational needs of agricultural officers for adaptation of remote sensing technology for precision agriculture in Balochistan Pakistan. Sarhad J. Agric. 28(2): INTRODUCTION Development is not just to provide basic necessities of life to the country s population and to build infrastructure, bridges, roads, hospitals, and schools; however, the real development is to invest in human resources and to enhance the capabilities and skills of the country s population. Only skillful human resources are required for the economic development of any country and for the farm population. The trained and skillful people can provide all necessary resources to the farmers to assist in better agricultural production and better living standards. Many factors, such as high quality research in agriculture, information technology for decision making, planning, and trained extension people are the keys for sustainable agricultural practices. Extension institutions in developing countries all over the world have a key role in facilitating change towards implementation of improved agricultural technologies. In Pakistan, as in many other developing countries, agriculture is the backbone of economic development. Agriculture is also an important element in the social fabric of Pakistani society and plays an essential role in the formation of its cultural identity. Whatever the economic structure has been or is today, unquestionably Pakistan s economy is and will continue to be based on agriculture in the foreseeable years (Davidson, et al. 2001). The extension system in Pakistan is the most significant wing of the agriculture department and is the hub of all agricultural activities. The extension system provides a bridge between agricultural research and the farmer s community. The agricultural officers have vital role in implementing any new technology at grass-root level. According to Lyles and Warmbrod (2000) county extension agents deal with an array of problems. They must contribute to an effective work environment, handle many administrative tasks, and must know current technological advances in their field. Public and private extension services in Pakistan can play an important role in implementing remote sensing technology by facilitating learning among the end users such as those who are directly involved in agribusiness. The role of the agriculture extension system in Pakistan for application of remote sensing technology at grass-root level, and in-service educational needs of agricultural officers regarding remote sensing technology has not yet been investigated. Moreover, despite their responsibilities of teaching and training of farmers on current agricultural issues, extension personnel received very little documentation in Pakistan.

2 Ejaz Ashraf and Gary B. Jackson. In-service educational needs of agriculture officers 354 Cooper and Graham (2001) stated that in future, the success of extension programs will be determined to a large degree by the ability of the Cooperative Extension Service to keep highly qualified agents. In the future scenario of agricultural practices, more emphasize is required on training of extension field staff for the development and implementation of new technologies in agriculture. Use of spatial technologies for precision agriculture such as remote sensing (RS) provides an opportunity for sustainable agricultural practices in future. Spatial technologies are used in combination for precision farming and site-specific crop management. Precision farming techniques are employed to increase yield, reduce production costs, and minimize negative impacts to the environment (Zhang and Maohua, 2000). Joselito and James (1997) pointed out that the Cooperative Extension Service at Mississippi State University evaluated the effective use of these technologies into the professional responsibilities of extension specialists and agents. Extension personnel develop extension programs utilizing spatial technologies such as RS/GIS/GPS as a program needs assessment and monitoring tool. Ketherine, et al. (2005) said that rapid development of spatial technologies in recent years has made available new tools and capabilities to extension services and clientele for management of spatial data. Purpose of the Study The primary purpose of this study was to identify in-service educational needs of agricultural officers in Remote Sensing technology for economic development of the province of Balochistan and Pakistan as well. The secondary purpose of this study was to identify the relationship among agricultural officers perceptions of competence (knowledge), training, information, and selected demographic characteristics. Objectives of the Study This study is based on the following objectives. i. To describe the demographic profile of agricultural officers in Balochistan-Pakistan. ii. To identify the competence (knowledge) in specific units of remote sensing technology as perceived by agricultural officers of Balochistan, Pakistan. iii. To identify the opportunities of training in remote sensing that is required for agricultural officers in Balochistan-Pakistan. iv. To identify the sources of information on remote sensing that is required for agricultural officers in Balochistan-Pakistan. v. To determine how the variables of training, information, and demographic characteristics of the agricultural officers explain the variance in their competence (knowledge) in specific units of remote sensing. Assumption of the Study Agricultural officers have enough computer knowledge and understand basic concepts of spatial technologies for its use in agriculture. MATERIALS AND METHODDS Research Design A descriptive correlational research design was used in this study. Data were collected from 28 districts of Balochistan Province, Pakistan. The dependent (response) variable was the competence (knowledge) level of agricultural officers in specific units of remote sensing and its related technologies and its application to agriculture. The independent variables were opportunities of training on RS, access to the information sources for RS, and selected demographic characteristics of the respondents. Frankel and Wallen (2003) stated that the way correlational research describes the relationship among the variables is quite different from the descriptions found in other types of studies. A correlational study describes the degree to which two or more quantitative variables are related. Moreover, correlational research is carried out for one of two basic purposes, either to help explain important human behaviors or to predict likely outcomes. In addition, the researcher also has to take care of the threats to internal validity for the research design. Population and Sample The study site was the province of Balochistan-Pakistan. The country is divided into four provinces and Balochistan is the largest province with respect to area. A random sample of 280 subjects was selected from the population of 1,028 agricultural officers according to the prescribed table provided by Krejcie and Morgan (1970).

3 Sarhad J. Agric. Vol.28, No.2, Krejcie and Morgan provided a standard for selection of sample size (n) of human subjects from a population of size (N) in social research which is widely used to facilitate the researcher. The selected sample was drawn from the list of the names of agricultural officers with jobs located allover the province of Balochistan. The results of this study are applicable to the target population of agricultural officers in Balochistan. Instrumentation Survey instrument was designed based on the topic for research, literature review, and other resources related to the study. A five-point Likert scale was used to record the responses of the subjects. Content and face validities were checked. Moreover, instrument s reliability was also checked from the results obtained from the pilot study. Huck and Cormier (1996) stated that Cronbach s alpha is the most suitable statistic (for reliability check) that can be used for any instrument with items where researcher wants scores with three or more expected values. Hence, the Likerttype scale that was used in the instrument fulfills the requirement for the application of Cronbach s alpha. Data Collection and Analysis Data were collected from the study site in Balochistan, Pakistan. Survey questionnaire was sent to the respondents through regular mail. Two weeks time was allowed to the respondents for completion of the questionnaire. Of the 280 questionnaires, 255 were used. The initial response rate was 91%. Follow up methods (telephone, and reminders) were used to increase the response rate and 15 questionnaires were received due to the follow-up methods. The overall response rate including late respondents was 96%. The functional sample size of the study was n = 270. The Statistical Analysis System (SAS) 9.1 and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 15.0 were used for analysis of the data. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The first objective of the study was to describe the demographic profiles of agricultural officers in Balochistan-Pakistan. The profiles were age, education level, major degree area, years of experience in agricultural extension/research, extension program area, job location, job designation, and access to computer. Average age of the respondents was 32 years. Ninety two percent of the agricultural officers were 40 years of age or younger. Only 8% of the agricultural officers were above the age of 40 years and less than 50 years. Gender was not considered as a potential source of demographic information in the province of Balochistan, because women do not choose the agricultural officer position as a career. Therefore, males dominate in the agricultural extension work in the province of Balochistan. Of the 270 respondents, seven hold Ph.D. degrees, 133 hold master s degrees, and another 130 hold bachelor degrees in different areas of agriculture. These results indicate that all agricultural officers have the required qualifications and understanding of agriculturally related issues and problems confronting the agriculture sector in Pakistan, especially within the province of Balochistan. The major degree area distribution indicated that 43.3% of the respondents majored in agronomy, followed by entomology (22.6%) and horticulture (16.3%). These results indicate that the focus of agricultural officers was on crop related major degree areas. Therefore, the extension service in the province of Balohistan had more agricultural officers in the crop area than any other area. The results of the study indicated that only 13% of the respondents had 16 years or more work experience. The average experience in extension and research was 11 years. Findings indicate that most of the agricultural officers were relatively young, with little experience. More than 80% of the respondents had job responsibilities in crops related extension programs. These results confirmed that agricultural officers prefer to serve in crop-related areas in Balochistan. Of the 270 respondents, 153 agricultural officers had job locations in each district across the province of Balochistan. These results indicated that more agricultural officers work in the field than at a provincial directorate or in the agricultural educational institute (college). Those agricultural officers who work at the district level have direct contact with the farmers at the grassroots level, and they are responsible for the transfer of technology at the farm level. In the demographic profile of job designation of the respondents, 230 were agricultural officers and the other 40 had job titles identified as Research Officers, Assistant Directors, Deputy Directors, Assistant Professors, and Lecturers. This shows the diversity of the population under research and given an opportunity for recording the responses of all those who work in different sections of the agriculture department under one umbrella. Moreover, 99 respondents had access to computers in their offices. In addition, 131 respondents used computers at home and 40 respondents used laptops. These results show that more agricultural officers had access to a computer at home than in the office. It is important to note that the use of computers and laptops is increasing at all

4 Ejaz Ashraf and Gary B. Jackson. In-service educational needs of agriculture officers 356 levels, such as office and home. The second objective of the study was to identify the competence (knowledge) in specific units of remote sensing technology as perceived by agricultural officers of Balochistan-Pakistan. Competence (knowledge) of the agricultural officers was evaluated in 51 specific concepts of remote sensing and its related technologies. According to the results, based on the ranks of the means, the highest mean was 4.01 for basic computer understanding and the lowest mean was 2.20 for data interpretation. Results indicated that agricultural officers were competent enough only in three concepts, such as basic computer understanding with mean of (4.01), windows operating environment with the mean of (3.94), and basic concepts of remote sensing with mean of (3.75). In the remaining 48 concepts of remote sensing and its related technologies, the competence level of the agricultural officers was either low or up to some extent considered medium only in 8 out of 48 concepts Table I. Table I Means, standard deviations, and ranking of remote sensing competence in specific units as perceived by Agric. Officers Remote Sensing Concept N Mean* SD Rank Basic computer understanding Windows operating environment Basic concepts of Remote Sensing (RS) Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Introduction to Global Positioning Systems (GPS) Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Remote Sensing Concept N Mean* SD Rank Stages of development of GIS Precision Crop Management (PCM) through RS Stress deduction in crops Uses of GIS Electromagnetic radiation concept in context of RS Advanced production system site characterization Estimation of spatial data Unix operating environment Crop/weed discrimination Crop yield estimation Crop acreage reporting Basic principles of electromagnetic system Assessment of moisture for horticultural crops Assessment of field areas with production problems Assessment of nutritional stress for horticultural crops Post-harvest processing applications Testing of spatial data Imagery processing software as ERDAS Ability to communicate GIS concepts to others Basic principles of measuring 2D or 3D objects Camera and photographic systems Site specific nutrient, ph, weed, insect, disease Use of the Arc View GIS software for visualization Soil characterization, mineralogy, moisture, etc Detection of insect damage in crops Cold storage infrastructure for horticultural crops Crop growth regulation Predicting insect development Data acquisition Familiarity with GIS data sets Multivariate statistical methods for spatial data Digital image processing Use of Arc View GIS software for mapping Spatial Auto-Regressive Models Water Management Issues Applications of Digital Image Analysis Features and Functionality of the Geo-Explorer GIS/GPS integration in context of RS Land use/land cover (LULC) Airphoto/Image Interpretation Earth Resource Satellites Operating System Remote Sensing Concept N Mean* SD Rank

5 Sarhad J. Agric. Vol.28, No.2, Spatial sampling technique Differential Correction (correction of the GPS signal) Designing a Data Dictionary Data Interpretation Note. ERDAS = Earth Resources Data Analysis System *Mean: 1= None, 2=Low, 3=Medium, 4=High, 5=Very high These findings imply that the respondents need in-service education for all levels of competence in remote sensing. The agricultural officers must train in technical areas of remote sensing, geographical information system (GIS) and global positioning system (GPS). They need to have a high-level of competency for application of this technology in the field, such as: crop acreage reporting, crop yield estimation, assessment of moisture for horticultural crops, cold storage infrastructure for horticultural crops, post-harvest processing applications (sorting, grading, quality, and evaluation), detection of insect damage in crops, predicting insect development in crops, and irrigation related issues. Their confidence level in communicating specific units of remote sensing to others was low. Other than the top three specific concepts of remote sensing, in the remaining 48 concepts, the agricultural officers needed extensive in-service training and educational programs to upgrade their competency level so they could teach and apply remote sensing technology through educational programs of extension service in the province of Balochistan, Pakistan. The third objective was to identify the opportunities of training in remote sensing that were required for agricultural officers in Balochistan-Pakistan. This objective identified the opportunities of training in remote sensing (RS) for agricultural officers. The respondents were asked to rate the accessibility of training opportunities in RS on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from none to very high (1-5). The means ranged from 1.56 (low) for the participation in graduate level courses for remote sensing technology to 3.02 (high) for the workshops (2-3 days) about application of remote sensing technology for precision agriculture Table II. Table II Means, standard deviations, and ranks for training opportunities in remote sensing Training for Remote Sensing N Mean* SD Rank Workshops (2-3 days) about application of RS for PA Participation in In-service (1-2 weeks) training for RS technology Participation in short courses (for a month or two months) for RS technology focused on its applications for agricultural purposes Participation in graduate level course for RS technology Note. RS = Remote Sensing; PA = Precision Agriculture *Mean: 1=None, 2=Little, 3=Moderate, 4=High, 5=Very high The respondents described that they have none to moderate access to the training opportunities in RS and its application to agriculture. These findings indicate that agricultural officers were facing problems in their access to training opportunities on remote sensing. These findings also imply that the agricultural officers in the province of Balochistan had limited or no interaction with other professionals in the field of remote sensing. As a result, they had little exposure to the long-term training opportunities for remote sensing and its application for precision agriculture. The fourth objective was to identify the sources of information on remote sensing that were required for agricultural officers in Balochistan-Pakistan. The respondents rated the access to available sources of information for RS on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from none to very high (1-5). The means ranged from 2.24 (low) for the access to journal publications for current information on remote sensing technology to 4.09 (high) for the access to online sources for information on remote sensing technology. The access to the sources for information on remote sensing technology ranged from little to high on a 5-point Likert scale. Many respondents used online resources for getting information on RS technology, but they had little access to journal research publications and moderate access to published material for this technology Table III. Table III Means, standard deviations, and ranks for access to information for remote sensing Remote Sensing Concept N Mean* SD Rank Access to on-line resources for information on RS technology Access to published material that explains remote sensing basic concepts Access to journal publications for current information on RS technology *Mean: 1=None, 2=Little, 3=Moderate, 4= High, 5=Very high These findings indicate that due to the availability of computer technology in the world, now it is possible for one to access any specific information on the Internet according to specific needs and demands. It indicates that agricultural officers in Balochistan are using this source of information successfully and trying to improve their

6 Ejaz Ashraf and Gary B. Jackson. In-service educational needs of agriculture officers 358 competence in remote sensing technology. They also have moderate access to the published material on remote sensing. The agricultural officers are more concerned about the journal publications on remote sensing that are not readily available in Balochistan. It is important to understand that beside other sources of information, journal publications are most significant and vital source of information that brings information on research and changes in technology. On the basis of journal publications, respondents can learn and enhance their competence in specific units of remote sensing. The fifth objective was to determine how the variables of training, information, and demographic characteristics of the agricultural officers explain the variance in their competence (knowledge) in specific units of remote sensing. This objective was designed to illustrate how the variables of training, information, and demographic characteristics of the agricultural officers explain the variance in their competence (knowledge) in specific units of remote sensing. The correlation matrix for all independent variables was computed, and it was observed that two independent variables (age and experience) were highly correlated with the value (r = 0.98). To overcome the problem of multicollinearity, the independent variable of age was excluded from the regression analysis. A complete regression model was applied with the independent variables of training, information sources, extension program area, work location, major degree area, education level, designation, experience, and access to a computer. The alpha level.05 was used. The model was statistically significant F (19,250) = p <.05 and explained 79.7% of the variance in the dependent variable of competence. The results indicated that the independent variables of training, information sources, and experience played a significant role in enhancing the competence (knowledge) of agricultural officers in specific units of remote sensing. However, all demographic variables other than experience were statistically insignificant. To represent the results from regression analysis, unstandardized coefficients, standard error, standard coefficients, and t-value were used. Standard coefficients showed the net effect in competence (dependent variable), which was associated with one unit change in independent variables such as training, information sources, etc. in terms of standard deviations. Second, stepwise regression analysis was conducted on all statistically significant independent variables to determine the individual contributions to the variance explained. Data indicated that training was the most significant independent variable in the model, which explained 72.2% of the variance in the dependent variable of competence. The independent variable of experience accounts for 5.5% of the explained variance in the dependent variable of competence. The independent variable of information sources contributed to 1.2% of the explained variance in the dependent variable of competence Table IV. Table IV Model summary for the significant contributors in regression analysis for competence (DV) Model Variable R 2 Adj. R 2 Percent Contribution 1 Training Experience Information Sources Finally, stepwise regression analysis was applied with three statistically significant independent variables (Table V). Table V Regression analysis for the competence (DV), training, experience, and information sources Variable Unstd. Coeff (B) S.E. Std. Coeff. (β) t Sig. Training * <0.001 Experience * <0.001 Information Sources * <0.001 Constant * <0.001 R 2 =.789; Adj. R 2 =.786; df=3, 266; F= ; *Significant at.05 level This model was statistically significant F(3,266) = , p <.05 and accounted for 78.9% of variance in the dependent variable of competence (knowledge) of agricultural officers in specific units of RS and its related technologies for the application to agriculture. The variables, training (β =.510), experience (β =.285), and information sources (β =.194) were statistically significant in explaining the variance in the competence of agricultural officers. The values of standardized beta coefficients show individual predictive importance of the independent variables and indicate the average amount of change in the dependent variable when any specific independent variable changes one standard deviation and all other independent variables remain constant. In this study, the independent variable of training has a standardized beta value of.510; this means that when other independent variables of information sources and experience remain constant, the dependent variable of competence (knowledge) of agricultural officers also changes by the same amount of.510 standard deviation (Table V).

7 Sarhad J. Agric. Vol.28, No.2, These findings indicate that the variables, access to the training opportunities for the agricultural officers, access to the available sources of information, and experience were statistically significant and had positive correlations with the overall competencies of the agricultural officers in specific units of remote sensing. The independent variable of training has a standardized beta value of.510, which means that when other independent variables of information sources and experience remain constant, the dependent variable of agricultural officers competence (knowledge) will also change by the same amount of the.510 standard deviation. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS The agricultural officers in the province of Balochistan-Pakistan are motivated to be a part of the study. They have an understanding of basic computer operating systems and remote sensing. They believe that change is there, but the pace of the change is slow and not up to the required standard. The majority of the agricultural officers are not willing to incorporate new material and technologies in their extension educational programs. However, due to the overflow of knowledge and technology, it is not possible to stop the change. This perception was highly supported in this study by subjects basic knowledge and familiarity with any new technology or their motivation to gain new knowledge to bring the change in conventional agricultural practices. A similar conclusion was also drawn by Delgado-Hernadez (1998) in his study as he pointed out that knowledge and experience have a vital role on opinion and decision making for any human being. The agricultural officers described themselves as highly competent in basic computer understanding, windows operating systems, and the basic concepts of remote sensing. It is important to note that the subjects described themselves with a low-to-medium competent in the given concepts of remote sensing; however, they know the knowledge is provided and the government of Balochistan and other agribusiness agencies should note this important issue. They need to work closely with agricultural officers in the development and implementation of remote sensing technology at the grass-root levels. Seminars, workshops, short training courses, and participation in graduate level courses in remote sensing are few strategies that can be used for teaching and learning of this technology and to enhance competence of agricultural officers in this area. Swanson (1997) described the importance of extension organizations for the promotion of sustainable practices. Implementing this new technology in the area, the responsible agencies should also consider its social and economical advantages, not only for the agricultural officers, but also for the end-users as well. Only high level access to the information sources and training allow agricultural officers to enhance their competence level and play an active role in transfer of technology to the end-users. Moreover, in-service training and availability of information on the topic builds confidence in agricultural officers and they will provide quality educational services to their clientele in the field. The findings of the study indicated that there was a statistically significant linear relationship between the competence of the agricultural officers and available training opportunities, access to the information sources, and experience in extension service. This implies that competence of the agricultural officers can be increased by changing the level of available training opportunities and information sources. It is also important to mention that role of the in-service training is more important in refining the skills and abilities of the employees than any other indicators in this study. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that inservice training plays a significant role in enhancing the competence and skills of the agricultural officers in remote sensing concepts and results in building their confidence to teach these concepts to others. The goals and objectives regarding the development of the agriculture sector and the welfare of those who are directly involved in agribusiness can not be accomplished until agricultural officers who also act as extension educators have the required level of competence needed for the transfer of technology to the end-users. The provincial government should take the necessary steps for restructuring training opportunities and developing a comprehensive curriculum of teaching remote sensing concepts for achieving the goals of precision agriculture in this province. It is also recommended that universities and colleges incorporate the teaching of remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS) and global positioning systems (GPS) with special emphasis on precision agriculture in their curriculums. REFERENCES Cooper, A.W. and D.L. Graham Competencies needed to be successful county agents and county supervisors. J. Ext. 39(1): Retrieved: Jan. 17, 2006:

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