Action research analysis of the forces affecting farmer participation in a West Virginia Cooperative Extension Service farmer education program

This study uses action research principles and Kurt Lewin's field theory to investigate the forces dictating farmer participation in the Decision Enabling Data Collection and Management System Initiative (DEDCMSI). These forces were classified in Chapter IV under the following project categories: Hardware, Software, Perception of DEDCMSI, Perception of Technology, and Sociocultural. This West Virginia University Cooperative Extension Service (WVUCES) initiative organized four farm finance groups located in the following counties: Ohio, Jefferson, Mineral, and Monroe. Data collection methods used to identify forces occurring within this seven-month pilot project is listed here as follows: structured, semi-structured, and un-structured interviews. A total of thirty research participants, four support staff, two Extension Specialists, nine Extension Agents, two applied social science researchers, and one graduate student in applied sociology contributed to this research. The results of this study will be utilized in the development of future intervention strategies by the WVUCES.