The purpose of this study was to investigate professional competencies needed by program evaluation staff and managers of the Ministry of Jihad-e Agriculture (including the evaluation staff and managers of Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate and the program evaluation staff of the Extension and Farming Systems Deputy) in Iran. This research was conducted during 2008 using a descriptive and correlational design and utilizing a stratified random sampling, which selected 132 out of 170 evaluation managers and agricultural personnel involved in program evaluation of that ministry. The reliability of the instrument was estimated to be acceptable (alpha= 0.75-0.98). Both staff and managers suggested the development of evaluation competencies for their programs. They are interested in participating in relevant training courses to enhance their proficiency. The priority of the extension program evaluation staff tends to "Situational Analysis" area, while agricultural program evaluation managers mainly prefer the "Systematic Inquiry" area. Most evaluation competencies should be acquired or developed after the managers have being employed.
This study, which designs a model for integrated watershed management in Iran, is based on qualitative research applying a grounded theory methodology. Interviewing was the main tool for gathering data. Using snowball sampling, we chose three categories of informants: (a) academics and experienced natural resource experts, (b) representatives of active environmental non-governmental organizations, and (c) local people. Integrated watershed management was constituted from contextual conditions (i.e., physical conditions of watersheds, infrastructure, and constructed facilities); causative conditions (i.e., management challenges, climatic–environmental factors, and local people's socio-cultural and economic conditions); and intervention conditions (i.e., extension and education, motivation, attitude, and professional ethics factors). Integrated watershed management paves the way for strategies involving holistic and systems thinking, improved credit and financial resources, coordinative and general policymaking, stakeholder participation, and integrated information systems. These strategies result in environmental, economic, and social outputs.
This study aimed to understand the competences needed by agricultural and extension evaluation experts in Iran. Using a descriptive and correlational research design, a valid and reliable selfcompletion questionnaire was utilized for data collection from a sample of 132 out of 170 managers and professional staff involved in agricultural and extension evaluation programs. The professionals mostly preferred to participate in in-service training courses to develop their competences including situational analysis, reflective practice, project management, professional practice and systematic inquiry, respectively. Therefore, these courses can ensure their continuous professional development. However, for many interpersonal competences, they would rather do pre-service training courses.
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