Extension Needs of Farmers Concerning the Recommended Practices in Cotton Crop Production in some Villages of Abu Homos and Damanhour Districts, El-Beheira Governorate

Cotton is one of the most important economic agricultural crops cultivation in Egypt. In addition to being the main source of per capita income for most farmers, it is also one of the main pillars of the national economy, and it is a three-benefit crop, as it is a fiber crop, oil crop, and animal feed Crop.
Given the importance of the cotton crop as a source of raw materials and hard currency and as a source of individual income for most farmers, the Ministry of Agriculture pays special attention to it, whether by directing research or extension efforts, Therefor this research was special importance to determine the degrees of knowledge need of the respondent's farmers regarding the recommended practices in cotton crop production. Determining the relationship between the degrees of knowledge need of the respondent's farmers and each of the independent variables studied, and determining the degrees of implementation need for the respondent's farmers in relation to the recommended practices in cotton crop production , and determining the relationship between the degrees of implementation need of the respondent's farmers and each of the independent variables studied, and identifying The constraints that the respondent's farmers face regarding the application of the recommended practices in cotton crop production, and their proposals to overcome it from their point of view.
 Field data were collected through a questionnaire through a personal interview with a simple random sample of cotton farmers in four villages of Abu Homs and Damanhour districts in El-Beheira governorate, and the number of the research sample items reached 147 respondents, representing 38% of the total farmers in the selected villages, according to the Craigsy and Morgan equation. The data were analyzed statistically using Pearson's simple correlation coefficient, the bullish step-scale correlation and regression analysis model (Step –Wise), as well as the arithmetic mean, standard deviation, and tabular presentation with frequency and percentages.
The search resulted in a large number of results; the most importantly of it are the following:
1- The research results showed that more than two-thirds of the respondent's farmers (70.1%) have middle and high knowledge needs, in relation to the recommended practices in cotton crops production.
2- The research results showed that more than three quarters of the respondent's farmers (77.6%) have middle and high implementation need, in relation to the recommended practices in cotton crop production.
3- The research results indicated a decrease in both the cognitive level and the implementation level of the recommended practices for the cultivation and production of the cotton crop in general among the respondents, where the percentage of average degrees of knowledge need and implementation need reached 60.5% and 67.6% respectively. Especially in the fields of pest control, fertilization, and irrigation, which has a negative impact on the quantity and quality of the cotton produced.
4- In light of the results of the ascending multiple regression analysis (step-wise), it was found that only four variables among the studied variables contributed to the total variance that explained the degrees of cognitive need of the respondents in relation to the recommended practices in the production of the cotton crop. The four variables combined in the predictive ability of degrees of cognitive need 45.9%, 31.4% of which are due to the degree of exposure of the respondent to agricultural extension services and activities, 7.7% to the degree of the respondent's education, 4.9% of which is to the degree of the respondent's exposure to audience communication methods, 1.9% of it to the number's years experience of the respondent in cultivating the cotton crop.
5- According to the results of the ascending multiple regression analysis (step-wise), it became clear that only five variables among the studied variables contributed to the total variance explaining the degrees of implementation need of the respondents in relation to the recommended practices cotton crop production, and these five variables contributed together. In the predictive ability of the degrees of executive need at a rate of 29.6%, and these variables are: the degree of respondent's exposure to agricultural extension activities and services (15.5%), the degree of the respondent’s education (8%), and the degree of agricultural innovation (2.9%), The degree of exposure of the respondent to public communication methods (2.3%), and the number's years experience of the respondent in cultivating the cotton crop (0.9%).
 6- It was found through using the weights that the most important constraints facing the respondent's farmers regarding the application of the recommended practices in the production of the cotton crop, according to their opinions in the following general descending order: the state stops marketing the cotton crop, the prices of production inputs are high, and the selling prices are low. Because of the drop of cotton blossom, the decrease in the productivity of an acre, the exposure of the farmer (the producer) to the exploitation of the merchant, the delay in announcing the indicative price of the cotton drop, the fraud in seeds or the invalidity of a part thereof, and the absence and weakness of the role of agricultural extension, where the relative importance of the weights ranged between 21.1% to 3.6%.
7- It was found through using the weights that the most important solutions proposed to overcome the constraints facing the respondent's farmers regarding the application of the recommended practices in the production of the cotton crop, according to their views in the following general descending order: the government buying the crop and not leaving it to the control of the group of merchants to prevent their exploitation of their needs. Farmers, subsidizing the crop and providing high-yield varieties to compensate for the high costs of production and marketing, cultivating high-quality and high-grade varieties to be marketed at a reasonable price, and for the state to implement the contract farming system until a binding formula is available to purchase their cotton production at a reasonable price, and for the state to set a guarantee price , And not only as a guideline, provided that this is done in sufficient time before planting the crop or immediately after the end of the season immediately preceding it so that the farmer can make a decision to cultivate cotton or another crop, and return the role of agricultural cooperatives in supporting and disbursing all production requirements, as well as marketing the crop after collecting it. , Which will lead to an increase in the areas cultivated with cotton and an increase in production, and the state will benefit from that in relying on local production of cotton and limiting Import, and the necessity of returning cooperative marketing once again to protect farms from controlling and procrastinating the merchants group and their exploitation of farmers' need, and paying attention to the role of agricultural extension in urging and encouraging farmers to cultivate cotton, while making them aware in all stages of production until collecting the crop and preparing to market it, where the relative importance of the weights ranged between 25.0% to 2.6%.