Identifying Factors Influencing Linkage between Research and Extension from the Perspective of West Azerbaijan Province Agricultural Experts

The main aim of this study was to identify factors affecting the linkage between research and extension based on agricultural experts opinions.. The research instrument was a structured questionnaire. The validity of questionnaire was obtained by a panel of experts. The reliability of questionnaire was obtained by pilot test. The Cranach's alpha coefficient for questionnaire was 0.86. The population of this research consisted of agricultural experts in West Azerbaijan province of Iran (N= 381). By using a stratified –cluster randomized sampling technique 180 people were selected. The findings show that adaptability of research findings with culture, values and needs of the rural community, felt needs and responsibility of extension agents in establishing linkage and ability of extension agents to identify problems of rural population was the main solutions in linkage between research and extension. By using factor analysis methods, affective factors for linkage between agricultural extension and research was summarized in nine factors, namely motivation of research and extension agents to work together, capability and expertise of extension agents and research units, applied research findings, joint planning activities, inter organizational competition between extension and research, sufficient number of extension and research agents, structural stability of research and agricultural extension, research and education organization, willingness between the two organizations to communicate together and providing extension services only by extension units. These factors could explain 74 percent of affective factors for linkage between research and extension.