An analysis of the competencies needed by extension workers in the southern province of Saudi Arabia

The main objectives of this study were: 1) to identify the main characteristics of extension work-ers;2) to determine the competencies needed pertaining to six areas of the extension work, i.e. philosophy. organization and administration of extension; teaching and learning process; human develop-ment and social knowledge, communication; program planning and development, research and evalua-tion;3) to identify the nature of the relationship between extension workers, characteristics and their needs for additional training. The empirical inquiry covered 114 extension workers representing the total extension workers in the Southern Province. The data were collected by means of personal interview. The results of the study revealed that: 1) most of extension workers were relatively young, unspecialized in extension; 2) the extension workers needed training in all the studied areas particularly in the following areas: research and evaluation in extension; teaching and learning process. There were significant relationships between some of the extension workers' characteristics and their need for train-ing. Among the important recommendations of the study are: the urgent need to establish agricultural extension specialization in the College of Agriculture in the Kingdom, and to plan and implement a training program to raise the competencies of the extension workers