The Importance of Electronic Communication in the Use of Artificial Intelligence Programs and Applications in the Field of Smart Agriculture from the Point of View of Agricultural Extension Workers in Nineveh Governorate, Iraq

The study aimed to identify the level of importance of electronic communication among agricultural extension workers in using artificial intelligence (AI) programs and applications in the field of smart agriculture. It also aimed to identify the most frequently used electronic communication means by extension workers in employing AI programs and applications and rank them according to their relative importance; measure the contribution of electronic communication to improving extension workers' efficiency in usi…

By the Truvace deskOctober 17, 20262 min read1 sourcePeer-reviewedTRV-2026-1635· cite & verify

In brief

A questionnaire study of agricultural extension workers in Nineveh Governorate, Iraq, examined how electronic communication relates to their use of AI programs and applications in smart agriculture. A random sample of 128 of the 256 extension workers answered the survey, which was analyzed with SPSS.

The findings suggest digital communication channels can help extension staff adopt AI tools, but the tools themselves may not match local extension needs. The results reflect workers' self-reported views, and the obstacles are flagged as a topic for further study.

Main points

The importance of electronic communication for using AI in smart agriculture was rated moderate leaning high, at 48%.
Using agricultural institutions' electronic platforms to get information on AI programs ranked first, with a mean of 4.34.
Electronic communication's contribution to extension workers' efficiency with AI tools was rated high, at 46%.
Differences by educational qualification, years of service, Internet use level, and willingness to use social networking sites were significant; gender and training courses showed none.

The problem

Workers named poor fit between some AI applications and the needs of local extension work as the most important obstacle to using them.

The rundown

The study population was the 256 extension workers of the Nineveh Directorate of Agriculture across its 32 agricultural divisions. A five-part questionnaire covered personal information, the importance of electronic communication, the means used, the efficiency contribution, and 15 obstacle items. Its reliability reached a Cronbach's alpha of 0.95.

The study tested whether importance scores differed by gender, educational qualification, years of service, training courses, level of Internet use, and willingness to use social networking sites. Gender and training courses made no significant difference. The other four variables did.

The main recommendation was that the Ministry of Agriculture establish or develop official agricultural electronic platforms affiliated with extension institutions, containing updated information on AI applications and their use across agricultural fields.