The Role of Olive Farmers Field School in implementing the Integrated Crop Management (ICM) program in Al - Sweida Governorate

The olive crop is considered one of the social and economic crops in Syria, and it received the attention of agricultural extension, through the establishment of farmer field schools. The study was carried out with the aim of determining the role of olive field schools in raising the level of knowledge and practical skills of olive farmers related to the integrated management of the crop, and identifying the most important problems that hinder the work of field schools and olive growers within the study area It is in As-Suwayda Governorate, and a simple random sample was selected from some villages in which olive schools were implemented, which included 105 participating farmers and 105 non-participating farmers for olive field schools. The data was collected through the personal interview using a questionnaire form specially designed for this purpose. The data analysis also used descriptive and quantitative statistical methods, correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression model.The results of the study showed that all members of the sample were males, and their average age was 59 years and the average number of years of work in agriculture was 29 years. It was found that there are significant differences between participants and non-participants of olive field schools in terms of communication with agricultural extension and tendencies for innovation and renewal and crop productivity. And that (46%) of the participants and (52%) of the non-participants are medium families who own from 10 to 50 dunums of agricultural area.The results also showed that there were significant differences between the two groups at the level of knowledge and the level of application of the integrated management program for the olive crop, in contrast to the level of experience. There was also a direct significant correlation between the level of knowledge, experience and application of the integrated crop management program and some independent factors studied, but the most related factors affecting the level of knowledge: participation in olive field schools, livestock ownership, and the average productivity of a dunum of olives. The most influential ones are on the experience participating in the olive field schools, the number of years of work in agriculture, the farmer's inclinations to innovate and renew, the number of olive trees in the holding.The most influential on the level of application is participation in olive fieldschools, social participation, and farmer's tendencies for innovation and renewal. All previous results confirm that participation in olive field schools is the main and common factor in raising the levels of knowledge, experience and application of the integrated management program for the olive crop.One of the most important problems of the olive schools, as expressed by the participating sample members, is the lack of support for them, and the lack of follow-up by specialists after the implementation of the school’s activities, so they suggested providing financial support to them within the field school, and intensifying agricultural extension efforts to cooperate with farmers in order to implement the principle of management Integrated olive harvest. As for the most important problems of olive cultivation, as expressed by the sample farmers, the material obstacles and high costs of production requirements, drought and climatic changes, they suggested improving income by reducing production costs and increasing its yield, providing fertilizers and agricultural pesticides and repairing wells to provide water for agriculture.