The Role of Mobile Technologies in Provision of Training and Extension Services to Iranian Rural People: A Case Study of Zanjan Province

      The purpose of the present study is to examine the role and mechanisms of using mobile technologies in the provision of mobile training services for rural people in Zanjan province by means of a descriptive-correlational method. The statistical population of this study included 169 managers and experts of Jihad for Agriculture Organization in Zanjan province. The respondents identified some of the most important contexts that can be used for training of rural people with mobile mechanisms as follows: informing the time of training courses, sending information about the region’s weather situation, sending alerts about the spread of farm pests and diseases, sending information about agricultural inputs, informing people of the price of agricultural products, and alerts about the natural hazards in the region. The factor analysis identified the first factor that can be provided for rural people through mobile mechanisms as farm and horticulture issues. Animal husbandry, administration, credit, marketing, and tenders were the other factors.