Archives of Current Research International

Agricultural Extension Officers (AEOs) play a pivotal role in promoting agricultural development by facilitating technology transfer and providing advisory services to farmers. The effectiveness of extension services largely depends on the job competence of extension personnel. The present study aimed to assess and compare the job competence of Agricultural Extension Officers using self-assessment and Supervisor Rating approaches. An ex-post facto research design was adopted, and the study was conducted in Nalgonda district of Telangana state. A total of 120 Agricultural Extension Officers were selected through simple random sampling. Job competence was measured using a modified scale, covering ten dimensions: technical knowledge, guidance, communicative ability, adaptability, self-development, creativity, empathy, mental agility, initiative, and judgement. The collected data were analyzed using statistical tools such as frequency, percentage, mean, and mean index to assess the level and dimension-wise distribution of competence. The findings revealed that the majority of Agricultural Extension Officers possessed a medium level of job competence as perceived through self-assessment (55.84%), Supervisor Rating (57.50%), and overall competence (65.00%). Dimension-wise mean and mean index scores indicated that communicative ability and initiative were the most dominant competencies, whereas self-development and adaptability recorded comparatively lower mean scores. The study highlights the need for continuous capacity-building programmes, need-based training, and professional development initiatives to enhance the competence of Agricultural Extension Officers and strengthen the agricultural extension system.