Purpose: Given the absence of (structured) advisory services in Greece and the CAP requirements, we aim at exploring which would be the characteristics of agronomists whom farmers might trust as advisors. Design/Methodology/Approach: The field research addressed professional farmers who are in contact with agronomist(s)-as-advisors. Based on an…

Purpose: This paper seeks to better understand the dynamics of farmers' innovating processes by focusing on their sources of advice at various stages of their innovation process, specifically within the weak and fragmented Greek Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS). Design/methodology/approach: The study employed a mixed-method…

Purpose: The purposes of this study are--first, to conceptualize entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education in agriculture; second, to highlight the role and necessity of entrepreneurship education in enhancing entrepreneurship; and third, to formulate relevant research proposals. Design/methodology/approach: The quantitative data were…

Purpose: Considering current debates on ecosystem services' effectiveness and the AIS/AKIS functioning, in this study we suggest a new, systemic way to evaluate extension systems (ESs). Using this model, we compared the effectiveness of ESs in three countries with essential differences but also characteristic similarities in their agricultural…

Purpose: This study explores the use of advisory services by farm managers and its linkages with the economic, environmental and social performance of farms. Design/methodology/approach: Using cluster analysis we determined groups of farms according to their sustainability performance and explored the correlations between contacts with advisory…

Purpose: The current paper aims at the classification of Greek agronomists/extensionists in adult education philosophical frameworks; the exploration of frameworks' changes in the last 40 years; and the assessment of their relevance vis-à-vis the current developments. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research addressed a purposive sample of 30…

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to compare the extension services offered in the field of organic agriculture (OA) in Baden-Württemberg (BW), Germany and Crete, Greece. Design/methodology approach: 16 in-depth interviews, 10 in BW and 6 in Crete, were carried out with representatives of OA extension providers; interviews were qualitatively…

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explore the views of young farmers regarding the agricultural training, the training needs and content, as well as the implementation of information technology (IT) and the Internet in agricultural training. The research was conducted in the Greek islands of Cyclades. Methodology: A quantitative approach…

Purpose: In this study, we use a self-determination theory (SDT) approach to understand farmers' attitudes toward, and intentions for, participation in competence development projects (CDP). Design/methodology/approach: By applying SDT, we developed two measures. The first one assessed the degree to which the three basic human psychological needs…

Purpose: The objective of the present study was to compare the learning efficiency of two information and communications technology (ICT)-based instructional strategies (multimedia presentation (MP) and concept mapping) in a sample (n = 187) of Greek sheep farmers operating mainly in Western Greece. Design/methodology/approach: In total, 15…

The establishment of the Future Farmers of America in 1928 and its subsequent growth in size and scope was noticed around the world. Agricultural education professionals from dozens of other countries wanted to know about the organization and how it helped motivate young rural boys to study vocational agriculture and choose agriculture as a career…

This article critically assesses the potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) as agricultural extension tools. Specifically, the purpose of the current piece of work is to identify the extent of the use of ICTs on farms, look into farmers' characteristics as related to ICTs' adoption and explore farmers' preferred extension…

Purpose: This paper examines new coalitions for knowledge diffusion and innovations of young farmers. Understanding their patterns and the factors influencing their cooperative and innovating norms is crucial in improving these young farmers' positioning in the agricultural knowledge and information system. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on…

This study assessed farmers' willingness to pay for and spend time attending an Agricultural Educational Program (AEP). Primary data on the demographic and socio-economic variables of farmers were collected from 355 farmers selected randomly from Northern Greece. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis methods were used in order to meet…

Recent years have seen a relative flourishing in the Greek countryside of small women's businesses engaged in the production of local traditional agrofood products for an emerging consumer demand for foods of specific quality. In the present article the central research question may be summarized as: "to what extent do these women perceive…