Journal of American Science, 2011;7(2) http://www.americanscience.org http://www.americanscience.org editor@americanscience.org 54 Analyzing Efficiency of Agricultural Extension Programs by Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) (Illustrate: Wheat Farmers of Khouzestan Province, Iran) Ahmad Reza Ommani Assistant Professor Islamic Azad University Shoushtar Branch, Iran ommani75451@yahoo.com Abstract: The purpose of research is analyzing efficiency of agricultural extension programs by Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA). The method of research was qualitative. The research carried out by 4 analytical loops in rural area of Shoushtar township of Khouzestan province, Iran. Each analytical loop consist 6 to 9 rural people and one outsider as facilitator. According to results extension programs based on efficiency was ranked. This ranking respectively include: Farmer Filed School (FFS), Meeting in Farm (MF), Results Farm Demonstration (RFD), Method Farm Demonstration (MFD), Extension classes, Bulletin and Posters, Radio and TV program. Also ranking of educational needs respectively include: productivity indicators, sustainability, farm management, water management, pest and disease, west management. [Ahmad Reza Ommani. Analyzing Efficiency of Agricultural Extension Programs by Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) (Illustrate: Wheat Farmers of Khouzestan Province, Iran). Journal of American Science 2011;7(2):54-58]. (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.americanscience.org . Keywords: PRA, Extension program, Shoushtar 1. Introduction Agricultural extension is a significant social innovation, an important force in agricultural change, which has been created and recreated, adapted and developed over the all centuries. Its evolution extends over nearly four thousand years, although its modern forms are largely a product of the past two centuries (Jones and Garforth, 1997). Van den Ban & Hawkins (1996) defined agricultural extension services (AES) as “transferring information from the global knowledge base and from local research to farmers, enabling them to clarify their own goals and possibilities, teaching them to be better decision-makers, and stimulating desirable agricultural development”. Change in agriculture has brought about new challenges for farmers in relation to production and technology. As a result, more attention should be paid to agricultural extension. Van den Ban (1996) iterated the necessity of a progressive agricultural extension system. He pointed out that in many countries agriculture is in a process of rapid change and stressed that the demand for food is growing, as is international competition, labor productivity, and the rate of agricultural research. However, Van den Ban (1996) also pointed out, that employment opportunities and governmental supports for agricultural products are decreasing. According to Rivera and Gustafson (1991), agriculture and farming, informational technology, and governments are all in the process of changing. These socio-economic, political, and technical changes inevitably affect the institution of agricultural extension and exert pressure on it to change. Considering the changes and challenges in agricultural extension today, one of the roles of an extension organization should be to contribute to the development of agriculture by helping villagers to become aware of the changes in their environment. While these changes do offer new opportunities for farm development they can also threaten development because it is no longer possible to earn a decent income from the present farming methods (Van den Ban, 1996). Agricultural extension has now become recognized as an essential mechanism for delivering information and advice as an input into modern farming. Since commercial farmers can derive direct financial benefits from these inputs, there is a trend towards the privatization of the extension organizations, often as quasigovernmental agencies, with farmers being required to pay for services which they had previously received free of charge (Jones and Garforth, 1997). Therefore, a major role of agricultural extension is to help farmers with the knowledge construction process and to support them to learn from their own experiences (Van den Ban & Hawkins, 1996). There are many different definitions and interpretations of extension from various extension specialists. Most definitions support previous statements and assume extension officers and personnel as: supporters of farmers, facilitators for knowledge exchange between researchers and farmers, introducers of new techniques and information to farmers, supporters of innovation, creativity, and self-confidence of farmers, relationship-builders between government and farmers, etc. (Campbell & Barker, 1997; Prawl,