Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Abdollah Momvandy ¹
• Mohana Shahmoradi ²
• Maryam khosrobigi ³
• Abolfazl eihani ⁴

¹ Advisor to the Deputy of the Organization and Head of the Agricultural Education and Extension Institute

² Audit Specialist for Extension Approaches, Models, and Methods Office of Agricultural Knowledge and Technology Extension lightbulb مشاهده مراحل استنتاج ▼

³ Head, Group for Auditing Extension Approaches, Models, and Methods Office of Agricultural Knowledge and Technology Extension

⁴ Head, Agricultural Production Extension Group Office of Agricultural Knowledge and Technology Extension

Abstract

The yield gap, defined as the disparity between potential attainable yield and farmers’ actual yield, has emerged as a critical impediment to Iran’s agricultural self-sufficiency and food security policies. Despite the strategic importance of this issue, there remains a significant lack of comprehensive national empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of agricultural extension interventions in mitigating this gap. This study aimed to analyze the impact of large-scale extension training programs on reducing the wheat yield gap in Iran during the 2024–2025 cropping year. Adopting a causal-comparative research design, the study utilized field-based data from a massive statistical population of 8,729 irrigated and rain-fed wheat farmers across 29 provinces and the South Kerman region, spanning 323 target areas and 103,061 hectares of farmland.



Data were rigorously collected through standardized yield-recording questionnaires and official project documentation, then analyzed using SPSS (v. 18) through descriptive statistics and mean-comparison tests. Evaluated indicators included relative yield-gap reduction, incremental yield increase, total economic value, and the benefit–cost ratio (BCR). Findings revealed that extension training significantly reduced the yield gap and enhanced economic performance in both systems. For irrigated wheat, the relative yield-gap reduction was 11.77% with a BCR of 4.88, while rain-fed wheat showed an 8.41% reduction and a BCR of 4.54. Overall, the covered farms produced an additional 38,700 tonnes of wheat, valued at IRR 7,946 billion. The study concludes that integrating extension training with technical packages, lead farmers, and farm-based learning models constitutes a powerful strategy for closing national yield gaps and optimizing production efficiency.

Keywords

• Yield gap
• wheat
• Extension Training
• economic effectiveness
• benefit–cost ratio

Main Subjects

• Agricultural education