ASSESSMENT OF EXTENSION AGENTS’ KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS REGARDING PEST MANAGEMENT IN KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA PROVINCE -PAKISTAN

The research study was initiated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan toinvestigate about the extension agents’ knowledge and skills regarding pestmanagement. Key objectives of the study were to know the present levels of theirpotentials and to judge their interested level of skills and potentials in pestmanagement capabilities needed by Agriculture Extension Officers (AEOs) fortheir effective job performance. Respondents were asked to report the selfperceived level of expertise possessed by them and the level required for smoothperformance regarding pest management measures in the field to sustainagriculture. The present and interested levels of potentials were measured both onLikert scale ranging from 1 to 5 such as “very low” as “1” and “very high” as “5”.There were significant differences observed in the agricultural officer’s potentialfor sustaining agriculture regarding age, professional qualification and jobexperience. Age, professional qualification and job experience have significantassociation on technical efficiency regarding protection of plants from pests forsustainable agriculture. Moreover, required level in said capability was higher inidentification of major field crops’ diseases as well as the guidance of farmers forherbicides use against weeds. Trainings of AEOs were required in identification ofdiseases and insect pests of minor crops along with their causes. Hence it isrecommended that AEOs may be trained and well prepared in the mentionedparameters of pest management measures to face challenges in the field ofagriculture and can face farming community effectively to raise their livingstandards by sustaining agriculture for their coming generation