The purpose of the study was to assess county extension agents'
knowledge of geotextiles; to determine their current level of
information and their location on an adoption-diffusion curve; and to
determine the agents' attitudes toward the potential use of
geotextiles in agriculture, specifically in soil erosion control.
A questionnaire was designed to investigate the extension agents'
basic knowledge of geotextiles and current uses; and through a
self-rating selection, to determine their position on an
adoption-diffusion curve. The 30- item questionnaire also
incorporated measures determining the agents' attitude toward, and
perception of potential for, geotextile use in agricultural practices.
The questionnaire was mailed to all 122 county extension
agricultural, horticultural, and farm management agents in Oregon and
Idaho. A total of 92 usable replies (75.4%) were received and included
in the study. Descriptive statistics were employed in the analysis of
the individual questions and the chi-square test was used in the
analysis of nominal data for all hypotheses. The level of significance
was set at .05.
The development of a profile of the agents' knowledge of basic
geotextile functions showed the agents were most familiar with
landscape fabric; they were first introduced to the fabrics through
commercial literature and extension agents/specialists; and they were
first made aware 2-5 years ago. The most important project which
used a geotextile in the agent's county(ies) was most frequently
designed and installed by a farmer or rancher, in use less than five
years, and increased productivity immediately or within one growing
season.
A significant relationship was found to exist between the agents'
self-rating of their level of knowledge and their area of expertise.
The horticultural agents' self-rating of their level of knowledge of
agro-textiles was most often cited as "moderate." The crops and
combination agents claimed to have "very little" knowledge and the
livestock agents said "very little" or "none."
Significant relationships could not be established between the
agents' self-rating of their level of knowledge and the most prevalent
farm or ranch land use in their county; their length of employment; and
their attitude toward, or perception of, geotextile use in agricultural
practices. No significant relationship could be confirmed between the
curve created by the agents' knowledge and Rogers' (1958, p. 351)
adoption-diffusion curve. Because agro-textiles are a relatively new
product, complete adoption has not yet taken place. Therefore, the
agents' curve is not expected to be normal.
Results showed the major benefits in using agro-textiles were
"increased productivity" and "dollars saved." Other benefits included:
the savings of water and time; and the control of frost and increased
soil warmth, which led to earlier harvests, longer seasons, and less
loss of crops. The real and/or perceived barriers against the use of
agro-textiles most cited were "too expensive" and "not cost effective." / Graduation date: 1993
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/37122 |
| Date | 04 November 1992 |
| Creators | Brown, Linda Lee |
| Contributors | Koester, Ardis W. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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