Abstract:
Agriculture extension services are designed to enable the diffusion of knowledge about farm
technology. Agriculture Instructors (AIs) act as bridges implying that their capacity to absorb
and diffuse knowledge is crucial for the effectiveness of the entire knowledge dissemination
system. Despite the vast amount of research done on organizational dimensions on knowledge
acquisition by agriculture extension officers, few studies address individual dimension in
general and the role of knowledge acquisition in particular. In this study, we examined the
extent to which individuals’ capability to identify and acquisition new knowledge from external
environment is shaped by their motivation, ability and opportunities drawing on MAO
(Motivation, Ability and Opportunity) framework. To explore this, 72 AI officers in the
Hambantota District in Sri Lanka were surveyed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Multiple
regression model was used for our analysis and tested basic four assumptions before data use
for regression analysis. This study found a positive and insignificant effect of individual ability
on knowledge acquisition process (β=0.008, p>0.05). Further, we found that individual
motivation has a negative and statistically insignificant impact on knowledge acquisition (β=-
0.001, p>0.05). Moreover, opportunities show positive and significant impact on knowledge
acquisition process (β=0.324, p<0.05). Based on these research findings, we conclude that
opportunities and individual abilities of AIs for the access of new knowledge is much more
important in Sri Lankan context and individual motivation to accesses new knowledge does not
equally important for knowledge acquisition. Therefore, government of Sri Lanka should
improve individual ability of AI officers as the primary mechanism to improve their
performances and should stimulate their interest by developing and sustaining opportunities
through social interaction. Moreover, we can propose different groups of activities to HR
managers of the organization such as increasing individual ability (through staffing, training,
performance appraisal) and providing opportunities (by improving communication, team
building, and creating the right corporate culture to acquire knowledge).
