Training needs assessment of olive growers for the enhancement of olive production in District Attock, Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

Olive production has considerable potential to enhance farm income and contribute to Pakistan’s domestic edible-oil supply. However, the substantial gap between the potential and actual yield of olive orchards indicates the need to strengthen farmers’ knowledge and technical skills. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the training needs of olive farmers to increase olive production in two tehsils; Pindi Gheb and Jand of district Attock, Punjab, Pakistan. A descriptive and exploratory survey research design was employed, and data were collected from 130 olive growers in District Attock, Punjab, Pakistan, selected through a multistage sampling technique. A very low technical knowledge was found in olive farmers for fertilizer selection. Farmers revealed that they needed training in the area of factors affecting water requirement and reasons for prevalence of insect pests and diseases. Most of the farmers (88.5% & 100%) were well aware of facilities provided by extension field staff in their areas. The use of lectures, farm visits and instruction materials by extension field staff were highly efficient training methods and these methods were similarly ranked according to their effectiveness as  1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd with mean values ​​of 3.07, 2.64 and 2.09, respectively. Over the past year, a large number of farmers (53.8%) participated in only one training. The key qualities of a master trainer were professionalism, in-depth technical knowledge, and self-confidence, which ranked first, second, and third, respectively, with mean scores of 3.51, 3.46, and 3.45. The main qualities of the training material were clear, useful and timely provided and these qualities  were ranked as 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd  with mean values ​​of 3.83, 3.71 and 3.58. Similarly, for the establishment of olive farms, it was observed that many farmers needed training in the fields including planting methods (87.7%), irrigation applications (86.9%), maintenance of plant density (87.7%), fertilizer application (88.5%), insect pest and disease management (85.4%). The findings suggest the need for targeted and demand-driven training programs focusing on technical knowledge, practical skills, and effective orchard management practices. © 2026 The Author(s)