Diffusion of Agricultural Ideas among Farmers in- Contact with Extension Agents through Facebook In Kirkuk Governorate- Iraq

The research mainly aimed to study diffusion of the modern agricultural ideas among the farmers connecting with the agricultural extension agents through Facebook at governorate of Kirkuk in Iraq, also degree of the farmers' contribution to the diffusion of the agricultural ideas and its relationship with some personal, social and economic characteristics, communication patterns, to identify the most important obstacles that prevent using Facebook in diffusion of the agricultural ideas and proposals to activate them. The study included all farmers who have friendly relations with the agricultural extension agents in the governorate through the social networking "Facebook", who numbered (141) farmers. The experimental method has been used in the thesis; as the agricultural group was created on Facebook; its members are the agricultural extension agents and their friends from the farmers at the research area. Many modern agricultural ideas were published. The researcher has identified fourteen agricultural idea; chosen by the agricultural extension agents as they contribute to develop the agricultural production. They have been published by four ways or forms; i.e.: (text, images, video and link). Then, the activities carried by farmers on Facebook were recorded such as watching those ideas, admiring, commenting on them, admiring with a comment or sharing them. Each agricultural idea of ​​fourteen ideas has been followed-up and with each form of the four forms for a week. Any of those activities that can be carried out by the farmer recorded for each an agricultural idea. Then those data recorded by the research group, have been linked with data set assembled by interviews, telephone communications or contacting respondents through their accounts on Facebook by using the questionnaire; including a set of questions relating to some characteristics, habits and patterns of using Facebook by the respondents. After the data were collected and linked with what has been written from page of the research group on Facebook, data were categorized and analyzed by using the Statistical Analysis Program (SPSS).
The results showed that most respondents are young people; holding higher level of the education, all of them have mobile phones, and most of them have personal computers. It has found that the majority of the farmers depend on Facebook to get the agricultural information, they prefer weekends (Friday and Saturday) to browse their accounts on Facebook, and the preferred time for them to browse their accounts during the day is the evening followed by a noon time. Also, it is clear that the respondents use their real names in their accounts on Facebook. In addition, most of them prefer to follow-up images, then video clips on Facebook. Moreover, the average what the farmer has from the farming friends on Facebook is (96) friends.
The results illustrated that the quail breeding topped a list of the ideas that have been published publicly, followed by two ideas to use the agricultural mulch and minimum tillage respectively. While two ideas of the ​​hydroponics and finally using the barbaric-blunt were the least diffusion. Also, the highest degree of contribution to the diffusion by the respondents was to an idea of the ​​minimum tillage, then feeding the animals with the malted barley. While the least degree of contribution by the respondents was in diffusion of two ideas of the ​​hydroponics, then irrigating plants with magnetized water. The results also showed that more four publishing methods of the diffusion is diffusion in way of (text), followed by method of the diffusion by (pictures), and method of the diffusion with (link) occupied the last rank.
In addition, the results showed there is a significant correlation between degree of diffusion of the agricultural ideas and each of (mean number of hours to using Facebook a day, times are preferred for using in the day, the days preferred to use it in a week, number of friends of farmers in Facebook, and number of the preferred subjects in it). Also, the results showed there are the significant differences between participants and non-participants in diffusion of the agricultural ideas in (picture); differing by type of device that he opens his account. Also, there are significant differences between participants and non-participants in diffusion of the agricultural ideas with all four ways of the diffusion according to browse their accounts during period of the ideas spreading or not. Based on those results, the final recommendations have been put.