Transfer of Technology (Tot) Skills Factors Contributing to Work Performance Among Extension Agents in Malaysian Cocoa Board, Peninsular Malaysia

Abstract

The main function of agricultural extensionists is to facilitate learning and disseminate new knowledge and technologies through non-formal educational settings. This will lead to improved agricultural productivity and increase farmers’ income. In the lens of the cocoa production scenario in Malaysia, it used to be a popular crop as this sector became the third-largest producer in the world since the 1980s, however that has changed over the years. Despite the reduced size of land use and the dropping production of cocoa over the past decades, exports of cocoa beans and cocoa products are growing steadily each year. Thus, with the overwhelming demand for Malaysian chocolate products from other regions, cocoa production should be boosted and not overlooked. Transfer of Technology (ToT) can be seen as the main catalyst that can improve farmers’ performance through extension agent capabilities, this study will determine the factors of ToT skills that contribute to the work performance of extension agents in the Malaysian Cocoa Board (MCB). A total of 353 productive cocoa farmers were employed in this study to evaluate the work performance of extension agents using a structured questionnaire. The data was analysed using descriptive and regression analyses. The results indicated that all the ToT skills (technical skill, technology delivery skill, and evaluation skill) are significant (p < 0.05) towards the work performance of extension agents. The R² value of 0.520 implies that the three contributors explain about 52% of the variance in the work performance in this study. Hence, this shows the importance of ToT skills in improving the work performance of extension agents, particularly in the MCB and cocoa industry in Malaysia.