Abstract

With the personnel cutback in agricultural extension services at a time when farmers need to receive more agro-technical information than ever, the need for efficient written communication channels between extension and farmers grows. This is especially true for small farmers, like those living in Moshavim, in Israel. A representative sample of 171 farmers were interviewed. They had quite good reading habits and fewer reading problems than could be expected. Farmers also made good use of the extension publications which they received. The main problems encountered were a weak distribution system and the necessity for authors of extension pamphlets and brochures to consider more the special needs of small farmers. The findings in this study reinforce earlier data from other countries on the potential (and actual) value of written communication as an agricultural extension tool.