The Level of Farmers’ Knowledge about the Recycling of Agricultural Waste in Samarra District - Salah Al-Din Governorate

Abstract

The research aims to identify the level of farmers’ knowledge about agricultural waste recycling in Samarra district in general, and to identify the level of farmers’ knowledge about agricultural waste recycling in Samarra district in Salah al-Din governorate in each field of research, and to find the correlation between the level of farmers’ knowledge and the process of recycling Agricultural waste in Samarra district and some independent variables related to them, which are as follows: age, educational level, number of years of work in the practice of agricultural waste recycling, holding size, trend towards agricultural waste recycling, contact with information sources. The study was conducted in Samarra district in Salah al-Din governorate, where the research community included all farmers belonging to the agricultural division in Samarra district, which are (Tigris Agriculture Division, Tharthar Agriculture Division, Al-Mu'tasim Agriculture Division, and Samarra Agriculture Division), where two divisions were chosen by lot, which is the Agriculture Division. Al-Mu’tasim, which includes (500) farmers, and the Tigris Agriculture Division (896) farmers, where the total number of farmers in those two divisions reached (1396) farmers, from whom a sample of (10%) was selected in a random way, as the total number of sample members reached (139) farmers, after excluding The initial test sample of (30) farmers. The data was collected using a questionnaire specially prepared to determine the level of farmers’ knowledge about agricultural waste recycling. The questionnaire consisted of two parts, the first part included personal factors, and the second part included two fields, where the first field included the field of plant waste recycling (35) items distributed on three axes that included the axis The first axis of recycling plant waste into feed (7) paragraphs, the second axis of recycling plant waste into fertilizers (19) paragraphs, and the third axis of recycling plant waste for domestic use (9) paragraphs, while the second area of animal waste recycling included (19) Paragraph, to test the level of farmers’ knowledge about agricultural waste recycling, and to achieve the validity of its two types, the questionnaire was presented to experts in agricultural extension and psychology. The results showed that (51.8%) of the respondents had an average level of knowledge about the recycling of agricultural waste. The level of plant waste is average, and therefore the farmers’ information is medium, and this indicates the farmers’ need for information and guidance activities about the recycling of such waste, and that (69%) of the respondents in the field of animal waste recycling average tends to rise, and the results showed that there is no significant correlation between the level of The knowledge of farmers and a variable (trend and age), and the existence of a significant correlation between the level of knowledge of farmers and each of the following variables (educational level, number of years of work in the practice of agricultural waste recycling, size of agricultural holding, contact with information sources). The researcher recommends the necessity of the extension system and the responsible authorities in the governorate of Salah al-Din and the research area to implement extension activities to provide farmers with the information and expertise necessary for the importance of recycling agricultural waste and its impact on the environment, in addition to its economic returns that benefit the farmer and improve his living conditions, and increase government support through the Ministry of Agriculture and Equipment The agricultural sector represented in providing farmers with machines for shredding and pressing of these wastes, as well as the necessary needs for this purpose at subsidized prices. And the importance of taking into account the independent variables that showed a significant correlation with the level of knowledge of farmers when implementing educational extension activities on the recycling of agricultural waste, both animal and vegetable.