وجهات نظر الزراع والعاملين بالإرشاد والخبراء حول الأسباب المؤدية لتناقص مساحات القطن في بعض قري محافظة أسيوط

Abstract EN

This research was conducted to identify the reasons decreasing the cotton areas in Assiut, from overview of farmers, extension worker, and experted additionaly to inform the expected solutions, identify whether there is a clear role for agricultural extension in overcoming it.

Data was collected in November and December 2021 from 200 of farmers, and 50 of workers, they represent the comprehensive staff of the Agricultural Extension Agency in the four selected centers in Assiut Governorate, and the data have been presented using frequencies and percentages.

The main results of the study were:
1- The most important reasons for the shortage of cotton areas from the farmers' point of view are the lack of marketing for the resulting crop, the decrease in the price of cotton quintals with the increase in the cost of production, by 99% , 100% , respectively, then the increase in the price of water used to irrigate the crop by 83% , and finally Infection of cotton crop with pink worm by 53% .

2- The most important reasons for the shortage of cotton areas from the point of view of workers in the extension system is the lack of marketing of cotton before the beginning of the season, and the farmers are not informed of the price of selling cotton before planting, at a rate of 94.5% , 89% , respectively, and finally the delay in the development of new high-productivity varieties by 51% .

3-The most important reasons for the shortage of cotton areas from the point of view of experts in this field are the low price of cotton and the farmers' suffering in marketing due to traders and intermediaries, the fragmentation of the areas planted with the cotton crop, the lack of an agricultural cycle, the inadequacy of its expenses as cotton needs 6 months of continuous work, Which led to its deterioration and its exit from the world ranking.

4- Among the most important proposals to increase cotton areas are as follows:
- The tendency to cultivate cotton in desert lands on large areas to avoid the problem of fragmentation of holdings
- Training of agricultural labor and modern mechanization, awareness of the strategic importance of the cotton crop.

- When the price of the quintal reached 4, 630 pounds in the public auction this year, it made the cotton collection centers an urgent necessity, and thus the farmer planted at greater rates because he saw the state's interest in spinning and developing it to increase our consumption.

- Re-attention to the cotton crop, then intensifying guidance and awareness for all stages of agricultural operations, taking into account the development of biological control to maintain the rank of cotton and obtain the highest price and the need for full vigilance from the agricultural engineer to monitor the penetrating pests that the farmer cannot monitor, and to spread awareness and agricultural guidance.

- Demanding a fund to balance cotton prices in order to avoid any deterioration in its price.

We also demand the application of the contractual agriculture law to determine the price of cotton before planting so that the farmer is not affected and to avoid a drop in world prices during the coming years.

5- The role of agricultural extension in overcoming the shortage of cotton areas: represented in providing marketing agencies for farms, training agricultural workers and how to use modern methods in agriculture, developing extension plans and programs and supervising their implementation, conducting extension seminars for the cotton crop < /p>