Job satisfaction of farm advisors working through an immature farm advisory system

The main purpose of this study is to examine the job satisfaction of farm advisors employed in an immature farm advisory system that was implemented within the pluralistic extension system after 2006 in Turkey. The participants of the study are farm advisors who employed by non-governmental organizations in the Southeastern Anatolia Region. The main material of this study is information provided by administering a questionnaire to a full-count sample of 150 farm advisors. A job satisfaction index is developed to measure job satisfaction, and later a binary logistic regression model is employed to determine factors affecting the job satisfaction. A four-factor job satisfaction index, including a total of 49 items, is developed. The factors are named as personal satisfaction, the physical environment and possibilities provided by the organization, interpersonal relationships, and satisfaction with the management. The job satisfaction index is dichotomized and used as the dependent variable of the binary logistic regression model. Results show that job satisfaction is affected by explanatory variables like gender, marital status, education level, type of employer, the reason for becoming a farm advisor, and the total area served. As a practical implications, the job satisfaction index developed for the farm advisors is ranked from 49 to 245 with a mean value of 185, indicating an overall satisfaction of 75%. Implementing adequate policies can increase job satisfaction and therefore the quality of extension services delivered within the current farm advisory system.