Evaluation of Agricultural Extension Service for Sustainable Agricultural Development Using a Hybrid Entropy and TOPSIS Method

Abstract

Agricultural extension service is the foundation of sustainable agricultural development. The evaluation and analysis of the agricultural extension service for sustainable agricultural development can provide an effective analytical tool for sustainable agriculture. This paper analyzes the influence of agricultural extension service on sustainable agricultural development, and constructs an evaluation system for sustainable agricultural development from the four dimensions of agricultural environment, society, economy, and agricultural extension service. This work proposes a framework based on the combination of technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) and entropy method to evaluate the performance of the evaluation system. Taking three national modern agriculture demonstration zones in Suzhou in Jiangsu Province as a case study, the method was verified. Moreover, the main factors affecting sustainable agricultural development are discussed, and the improvement measures and management suggestions are also put forward to reduce the obstacles to sustainable agricultural development and improve sustainable agriculture practice.