The sustainability of organic agriculture is associated with the farmers’ experience, quality of information provided, management of risks, and compliance with legislation. The objectives of this study were to identify the sources used by the organic farmers to gain information related to organic production, and to assess organic farmers’ perceived attitudes towards extension services. To address the research objectives, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 organic farmers in central Pennsylvania. The interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim, categorized and coded, then thematically analyzed using an interpretive description methodology. The results showed that the extension services were not identified as a primary source of information that was frequently used by the organic farmers. Other organic farmers and organizationa for organic agriculture were the two primary sources of informaiton. The organic farmers were very adept at building social capital in seeking informaiton to address their issues and problems. The primary challenges faced by the organic farmers were the control of insects and weeds, and weather-related issues. The results highlighted that in addition to identifying viable information sources, factors such as adaptive capacities to climate change and certification were key to successful production in organic systems. The present study provides rich and deep information on how farmers perceive organic agriculture and extension services. The outcome of the research undertaken will enable planners, policy makers and the related Cooperative Extension personnel to better understand perceptions of the farmers to devise viable and workable policies and plans that address the concerns and challenges of the farmers.

有机农业的可持续性与农民的经验，所提供信息的质量，风险管理以及对法规的遵守程度有关。这项研究的目的是确定有机农户用来获取与有机生产有关的信息的来源，并评估有机农户对推广服务的看法。为了解决研究目标，在宾夕法尼亚州中部对10位有机农民进行了深入的半结构化访谈。对访谈进行数字记录并逐字记录，分类和编码，然后使用解释性描述方法进行主题分析。结果表明，推广服务并未被确定为有机农户经常使用的主要信息来源。其他有机农民和有机农业组织是信息的两个主要来源。有机农民非常善于建立社会资本，以寻求信息来解决他们的问题。有机农户面临的主要挑战是对昆虫和杂草的控制以及与天气有关的问题。结果强调，除了确定可行的信息来源外，诸如适应气候变化的能力和认证等因素也是有机系统成功生产的关键。本研究提供了关于农民如何看待有机农业和推广服务的丰富而深入的信息。研究的结果将使计划者，