Small Vegetable Growers' Satisfaction About The Extension and Advisory Services Provided by Extension Educatioal Platforms in Beni-Suef Governorate

In Egypt, the governmental public and free Extension and Advisory Services (EASs) are facing serious challenges including insufficient budgets and decreasing numbers of village extension workers. Therefore, Extension Educational Platforms(EEPs) represent an appropriate option for providing Small Vegetable Growers (SVGs), with needed and demanded EASs related to effective production and marketing of the prevailing crops. In addition to SVGs, grouped in 
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) involve all relevant stakeholders, including input suppliers, governmental extension workers, and private sector companies. The main objective of this study was to assess SVGs ' satisfaction about the EASs provided by 4 PPPs in the area of the production and marketing of some vegetable crops, including onion, green beans, garlic and cucumber. Study was conducted in Beni Suef Governorate, the Nile Valley of Egypt. A sample of 111 SVGs, involved, as members, in 4 NGOs, were personally interviewed, by using a questionnaire designed for data collection. Medium and high degrees of satisfaction were reported by SVGs concerning: timely provision of EASs, secured marketing of the products, better and improved tools of vegetable production and marketing, better relationships among SVGs and governmental workers of agricultural directorates, well training of agricultural workers in post- harvest marketing practices, well training of SVGs on how to produce vegetables according to specifications accepted by consumers in local, regional and international markets.