*Department of Rural Resource Economics, Obihiro University of Agriculture andveterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan
Department of Agricultural Economy, Extension and Rural Development, Faculty of Agriculture, Damanhour University, Behera, Egypt
Present study was conducted in Egypt to analyze the diffusion of the idea of using corn silage as a source of forage in Egyptian agriculture. A survey was conducted with 143 respondents. The findings indicated that most farmers adopted the idea after sufficient disclosure of practices, although extension agents were being considered by innovators and early adopters as one of the main source of information for the idea. Weakness in the activities of extension workers were identified with respect to diffusing the idea of corn silage. It was also revealed that adopter categories were significantly different according to farm size, amount of family labor, stock size, contact with extension agents, and education level, whereas former age was not significant. It was concluded that extension practitioners should design activities for spreading awareness of new innovations in order to maximize their effectiveness in facilitating the adoption of new ideas.
Innovation, Diffusion, Corn silage, Extension agents, Egyptian agriculture
