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Extension: Concept and Need | Education

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After reading this article you will learn about:- 1. Concept of Extension 2.
Need for Extension 3. Levels of Extension 4. The Philosophy of Extension 5.
Objectives of Extension 6. Function of Extension 7. The Extension
Educational Process 8. Principles of Extension 9. Cyber Extension 10.
Motivation in Extension 11. Extension Agent as a Democratic Group Leader
and Other Details.

Contents:

1. Concept of Extension
2. Need for Extension
3. Levels of Extension
4. The Philosophy of Extension
5. Objectives of Extension
6. Function of Extension
7. The Extension Educational Process
8. Principles of Extension
9. Cyber Extension
10. Motivation in Extension
11. Extension Agent as a Democratic Group Leader
12. Changing Scenario in Agricultural Extension and Competencies Needed by the
Extension Agents
13. Evaluation in Extension
14. Scope of Extension
15. Systems Approach in Extension
16. Future Challenges for Extension

1. Concept of Extension:
The use of the term ‘extension’ originated in England in 1866 with a system of
university extension which was taken up first by Cambridge and Oxford Universities,
and later by other educational institutions in England and in other countries.

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The term ‘extension education’ was first used in 1873 by Cambridge University to
describe this particular educational innovation. The objective of university extension
was to take the educational advantages of universities to ordinary people.

Historically, extension has meant education in agriculture and in home economics for
rural people. This education is practical, aimed at improving farm and home.

According to Ensminger (1957) extension is education and that its purpose is to change
attitudes and practices of the people with whom the work is done.

Leagans (1961) conceptualized extension education as an applied science consisting of

content derived from research, accumulated field experiences and relevant principles
drawn from the behavioural sciences synthesized with useful technology into a body of
philosophy, principles, content and methods focused on the problems of out-of-school
education for adults and youth.

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The National Commission on Agriculture (1976) refers to extension as an out-of-school

education and services for the members of the farm family and others directly or
indirectly engaged in farm production, to enable them to adopt improved practices in
production, management, conservation and marketing.

The National Commission further stated that, agricultural extension is not only
imparting knowledge and securing adoption of a particular improved practice but also
aims at changing the outlook of the farmers to the point where they will be receptive to,
and on their own initiative, continuously seek means of improving their farm
occupation, home and family life in totality.

In addition to practising in the field, extension is formally taught in colleges and

universities leading to the award of degrees. Research is also carried out in extension.
What is unique for extension is the application of the knowledge of this discipline in
socioeconomic transformation of the rural communities.

In this context, Extension may be defined as the science of developing capability of the
people for sustainable improvement in their quality of life. The main aim of extension
is human resource development.

The concept of extension is based on the following basic premises.

Following Hassanullah (1995), these are:

1. People have unlimited potential for personal growth and development.

2. The development may take place at any stage of their lives, if they are provided with
adequate and appropriate learning opportunities.

3. Adults are not interested in learning only for the sake of learning. They are motivated
when new learning provides opportunity for application, for increased productivity and
improved standards of living.

4. Such learning is a continuous need of rural populations and should be provided on a

continuing basis, because the problems as well as the technologies of production and
living are continuously changing.

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5. Given the required knowledge and skills, people are capable of making optimal
choices for their individual and social benefits.

2. Need for Extension:

The need for extension arises out of the fact that the condition of the rural people in
general, and the farm people in particular, has got to be improved. There is a gap
between what is-the actual situation and what ought to be-the desirable situation. This
gap has to be narrowed down by the application of science and technology in their
enterprises and bringing appropriate changes in their behaviour.

According to Supe (1987), the researchers neither have the time nor are they equipped
for the job of persuading the villagers to adopt scientific methods, and to ascertain from
them the’ rural problems.

Similarly, it is difficult for all the farmers to visit the research stations and obtain
firsthand information. Thus, there is need for an agency to interpret the findings of
research to the farmers and to carry the problems of the farmers to research for
solution. This gap is filled by the extension agency.

3. Levels of Extension:
Extension is generally thought of at two levels, extension education and extension
service. Extension at these two levels are interrelated, but at the same time maintain
their separate identity. Extension Education-The extension education role is generally
performed by the higher learning institutions like the Agricultural and other
Universities and Colleges, ICAR Institutes, Home Science Colleges and apex level
Training and Extension Organizations.
At the university level, extension is integrated with teaching and research, while at the
research institutes, extension is integrated with research. At the other apex level
organizations, extension is generally integrated with training in extension.

The extension education function of these institutions and organizations is to educate,

train and develop professionals for teaching and research in extension and for the
extension service, and also to develop methodology for research in extension and field
extension work. The field extension work of these institutions and organizations is
generally limited to the neighbouring villages or blocks, which are considered as their
extension laboratories.

Extension Service-It is mainly to provide educational service to the people according to

their need, for improving their life through better working. The main responsibility of
extension service is with the State Government. The departments of Agriculture,
Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Veterinary, Forestry, Fishery, Sericulture etc. of the
State Government carry out extension work with the farmers and rural people over the
entire State.

The departments maintain close contact with the relevant Universities and Research
Institutes for obtaining appropriate technology and methodology for extension work,
and for providing them with feedback information from the field for research.

The extension service provided by the departments of the State Government is

location-specific, input-intensive and, target and result oriented. The extension service
works in close coordination with other development departments, input supply
agencies, credit institutions, voluntary organizations and Panchayats.

The extension service has the main responsibility of educating and training the
farmers, farm women, and rural youth and village leaders of the State and for this
purpose they take the help of the universities, research institutes and, training and
extension organizations.

Two more trends in extension service are gaining ground in India. These are,
decentralization of extension through closer coordination with Panchayats (Local Self-
Government), and privatization of extension through increased private sector
participation.

4. The Philosophy of Extension:

Philosophy is the pursuit of wisdom, a body of general principles or laws of a field of
knowledge. Essentially philosophy is a view of life and its various components. The
practical implication is that the philosophy of a particular discipline would furnish the
principles or guidelines with which to shape or mould the programmes or activities
relating to that discipline.

According to Kelsey and Hearne (1967), the basic philosophy of extension education is
to teach people how to think, not what to think. Extension’s specific job is furnishing
the inspiration, supplying specific advice and technical help, and counseling to see that
the people as individuals, families, groups and communities work together as a unit in
‘blueprinting’ their own problems, charting their own courses, and that they launch
forth to achieve their objectives. Sound extension philosophy is always forward looking.

5. Objectives of Extension:
Objectives are expression of the ends towards which our efforts are directed. The
fundamental objective of extension is to develop the rural people economically, socially
and culturally by means of education.

More specifically, the objectives of extension are:

1. To assist people to discover and analyze their problems and identify the felt needs.

2. To develop leadership among people and help them in organizing groups to solve
their problems.

3. To disseminate research information of economic and practical importance in a way

people would be able to understand and use.

4. To assist people in mobilizing and utilizing the resources which they have and which
they need from outside.

5. To collect and transmit feedback information for solving management problems.

6. Function of Extension:
The function of extension is to bring about desirable changes in human behaviour by
means of education. Changes may be brought about in their knowledge, skill, attitude,
understanding, goals, action and confidence.

Change in knowledge means change in what people know. For example, farmers who
did not know of a recent HYV crop came to know of it through participation in
extension programmes. The Extension Agents (EAs) who did not know of Information
Technology (IT) came to know of them after attending a training course.

Change in skill is change in the technique of doing things. The farmers learnt the
technique of growing the HYV crop which they did not know earlier. The EAs learnt the
skill of using IT.

Change in attitude involves change in the feeling or reaction towards certain things.
The farmers developed a favourable attitude towards the HYV crop. The EAs developed
a favourable feeling about the use of IT in extension programme.

Change in understanding means change in comprehension. The farmers realized the

importance of the HYV crop in their farming system and the extent to which it was
economically profitable and desirable, in comparison to the existing crop variety. The
EAs understood the use of IT and the extent to which these would make extension work
more effective.

Change in goal is the distance in any given direction one is expected to go during a
given period of time. The extent to which the farmers raised their goal in crop
production, say, increasing crop yield in a particular season by five quintals per hectare
by cultivating the HYV crop. The EAs set their goal of getting an improved practice
adopted by the farmers within a certain period of time by using IT.

Change in action means change in performance or doing things. The farmers who did
not cultivate the HYV crop earlier cultivated it. The EAs who earlier did not use IT in
their extension programmes started using them.

Change in confidence involves change in self-reliance. Farmers felt sure that they have
the ability of raising crop yield. The EAs developed faith on their ability to do better
extension work. The development of confidence or self-reliance is the solid foundation
for making progress.

To bring desirable change in behaviour is the crucial function of extension. For this
purpose the extension personnel shall continuously seek new information to make
extension work more effective.

The farmers and homemakers also on their own initiative shall continuously seek
means of improving their farm and home. The task is difficult because millions of farm
families with little education, scattered in large areas with their own beliefs, values,
attitudes, resources and constraints are pursuing diverse enterprises.
7. The Extension Educational Process:
Extension education is a participatory process and involves five essential and
interrelated steps. The sequence of steps is discussed on the basis of concept developed
by Leagans(1967).

First Step:

The first step consists of collection of facts and analysis of the situation. Facts about the
people and their enterprises; the economic, social, cultural, physical and technological
environment in which they live and work. These may be obtained by appropriate survey
and establishing rapport with the people.

The responses obtained are to be analyzed with the local people to identify the
problems and resources available in the community. For example, after a survey in a
community and analysis of the data, the problem was identified as low income of the
farm family from their crop production enterprise.

Second Step:

The next step is deciding on realistic objectives which may be accomplished by the
community. A limited number of objectives should be selected by involving the local
people. The objectives should be specific and clearly stated, and on completion should
bring satisfaction to the community. Objectives should state the behavioural changes in
people as well as economic and social outcomes desired.

In the example, the problem was identified as low income from crop production
enterprise. A deeper probe into the data revealed that low income was due to low yield
of crops, which was attributed to the use of local seeds with low yield potential,
application of little fertilizer and lack of protection measures.

By taking into consideration the capacity and competency of the people in the
community and the availability of resources, the objective was set up to increase the
crop yield by 20 percent within a certain period of time. It was estimated that the
increased yield shall bring increased income, which shall enhance the family welfare.

Third Step:

The third step is teaching, which involves choosing what should be taught (the content)
and how the people should be taught (the methods and aids to be used). It requires
selecting research findings of economic and practical importance relevant to the
community, and selection and combination of appropriate teaching methods and aids.

Based on the problems identified in the particular example, technologies like use of
HYV seeds, application of fertilizer and plant protection measures were selected as
teaching content. Result demonstration, method demonstration, farmers’ training and
farm publications were chosen as teaching methods, and rape recorder and slides were
selected as teaching aids.

Fourth Step:

The fourth step is evaluating the teaching, i.e. determining the extent to which the
objectives have been reached. To evaluate the results of an educational programme
objectively, it is desirable to conduct a re-survey. The evidence of changed behaviour
should be collected, which shall not only provide a measure of success, but shall also
indicate the deficiencies, if any.

In the example, the re-survey after the fixed period of time, indicated that the crop
yield had increased by 10 percent. It, therefore, indicated that there was a gap of 10
percent in crop yield in comparison to the target (objective) of 20 percent fixed earlier.

The re-survey also indicated that there had been two important deficiencies in carrying
out the extension educational programme, such as, there was lack of proper water
management and the farmers could not apply the fertilizer and plant protection
measures as per recommendation due to lack of funds.

Fifth Step:

The fifth step is re-consideration of the entire extension educational programme on the
light of the results of evaluation. The problems identified in the process of evaluation
may become the starting point for the next phase of the extension educational
programme, unless new problems have developed or new situations have arisen.

After re-consideration of the results of evaluation with the people, the following
teaching objectives were again set up. For example, these were, training the farmers on
proper water management practices and putting up demonstrations on water
management.

The people were also advised to contact the banks for obtaining production credit in
time to purchase the critical inputs. Thus, the continuous process of extension
education shall go on, resulting in progress of the people from a less desirable to a more
desirable situation.

8. Principles of Extension:
Principles are generalized guidelines which form the basis for decision and action in a
consistent way. The universal truth in extension which have been observed and found
to hold good under varying conditions and circumstances are presented.

1. Principle of Cultural Difference:

Culture simply means social heritage. There is cultural difference between the
extension agents and the farmers. Differences exist between groups of farmers also.
The differences may be in their habits, customs, values, attitudes and way of life.
Extension work, to be successful, must be carried out in harmony with the cultural
pattern of the people.

2. Grass Roots Principle:

Extension programmes should start with local groups, local situations and local
problems. It must fit to the local conditions. Extension work should start with where
people are and what they have. Change should start from the existing Situation.

3. Principle of Indigenous Knowledge:

People everywhere have indigenous knowledge systems which they have developed
through generations of work experience and problem solving in their own specific
situations. The indigenous knowledge systems encompass all aspects of life and people
consider it essential for their survival.

Instead of ignoring the indigenous knowledge systems as outdated, the extension agent
should try to understand them and their ramifications in the life of the people, before
proceeding to recommend something new to them.

4. Principle of Interests and Needs:

People’s interests and people’s needs are the starting points of extension work. To
identify the real needs and interests of the people are challenging tasks. The extension
agents should not pass on their own needs and interests as those of the people.
Extension work shall be successful only when it is based on the interests and needs of
the people as they see them.

5. Principle of Learning by Doing:

Learning remains far from perfect, unless people get involved in actually doing the
work. Learning by doing is most effective in changing people’s behaviour. This develops
confidence as it involves maximum number of sensory organs. People should learn
what to do, why to do, how to do and with what result.

6. Principle of Participation:

Most people of the village community should willingly cooperate and participate in
identifying the problems, planning of projects for solving the problems and
implementing the projects in getting the desired results. It has been the experience of
many countries that people become dynamic if they take decisions concerning their
own affairs, exercise responsibility for, and are helped to carry out projects in their own
areas.

The participation of the people is of fundamental importance for the success of an

extension programme. People must share in developing and implementing the
programme and feel that it is their own programme.

7. Family Principle:

Family is the primary unit of society. The target for extension work should, therefore,
be the family. That is, developing the family as a whole, economically and socially. Not
only the farmers, the farm women and farm youth are also to be involved in extension
programmes.

8. Principle of Leadership:

Identifying different types of leaders and working through them is essential in

extension. Local leaders are the custodians of local thought and action. The
involvement of local leaders and legitimization by them are essential for the success of
a programme.

Leadership traits are to be developed in the people so that they of their own shall seek
change from less desirable to more desirable situation. The leaders may be trained and
developed to act as carriers of change in the villages.

9. Principle of Adaptability:

Extension work and extension teaching methods must be flexible and adapted to suit
the local conditions. This is necessary because the people, their situation, their
resources and constraints vary from place to place and time to time.

10. Principle of Satisfaction:

The end product of extension work should produce satisfying results for the people.
Satisfying results reinforce learning and motivate people to seek further improvement.

11. Principle of Evaluation:

Evaluation prevents stagnation. There should be a continuous built-in method of

finding out the extent to which the results obtained are in agreement with the
objectives fixed earlier. Evaluation should indicate the gaps and steps to be taken for
further improvement.

9. Cyber Extension:
CYBER EXTENSION (also known as e-extension) may be defined as extension over the
cyber space, the imaginary space created by the interconnected telecommunication and
computer networks. It means using the power of online networks, computer
communications and digital interactive multimedia to facilitate dissemination of farm
information.

Cyber extension includes effective use of information and communication technology,

national and international information networks, the Internet, Expert Systems,
Multimedia Learning Systems and computer based training systems, to improve
information access to the farmers, extension workers, research scientists and extension
managers.

The cyber extension naturally, cannot and will not eliminate all the problems of
traditional extension. And in most cases, cyber extension will complement the
traditional extension. It will both add to and subtract from today’s extension
methodology. It will add more interactivity. It will add speed. It will add two-way
communication.

It will add to wider range and also more in-depth messaging. It will widen the scope of
extension; it will also improve quality. It will subtract costs and reduce time. It will
reduce dependency on so many actors in the chain of extension system, and frankly it
will change the whole method of extension in coming decades.

It will bring new information services to rural areas which farmers, as users, will have
much greater control than over current information channels. Even if every farmer
does not have a computer terminal, these could become readily available at local
information resource centres, with computers carrying expert systems to help farmers
to make decisions.

However, it will not make extension worker redundant. Rather, they will be able to
concentrate on tasks and services where human interaction is essential-in helping
farmers individually and in small groups to diagnose problems, to interpret data, and
to apply their meaning.

10. Motivation in Extension:

Motivation means movement or motion, an inner state that energizes, activates or
moves and directs human behaviour towards goals. It is a need satisfying and goal
seeking behaviour. Motivation is a generalized term which includes drives, desires,
needs, and similar forces.

Motivation may generate at two levels. The motivations which generate from within
one’s own self are known as intrinsic motivation. For example, the satisfaction of doing
good work may itself be perceived as a reward, which may motivate an individual to
make better work and progress further.

Motivations which generate from an artificially induced incentive, say, award of titles
like Krishi Pandit, prizes, certificates, etc., are known as extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic
motivation produces a stronger and more permanent drive in comparison to extrinsic
motivation and is considered more important in extension.

The main purpose of extension work is to motivate the farm people to adopt new ideas
and practices, where extension agents act as motivators. However, as human beings,
not only farmers, the extension agents also need motivation.

The motivations which are more relevant for the rural people are
presented, following Wilson and Gallup (1955):

1. The Desire for Security:

People are in need of economic, social, psychological and spiritual security, so that they
may feel safe. The farmers may be motivated to adopt new practices by convincing
them that the new practices shall increase income and employment, and enhance
security of the family.

2. The Desire for New Experience:

People are attracted towards new situations, new ideas, new interests, and new ways of
doing things. Extension teaching provides new knowledge, new skills, new attitudes,
and satisfies a basic human desire.

3. The Desire for Response:

People cannot stay alone. They need companionship, a feeling of belongingness.

Extension satisfies this need by encouraging people to work together in groups.

4. The Desire for Recognition:

Human craving for status, prestige, and being considered as important is well known.
Adoption leadership builds up prestige and recognition for the people in the rural
community. McClelland identified three types of basic motivating needs- need for
power (n/PWR), need for affiliation (n/AFF) and need for achievement (n/ACH). All
the three drives, according to Koontz and others (1984), are of special relevance to
management, and hence for the change agent system.

1. Need for power:

People with a high need for power have a great concern for exercising influence and
control. Such individuals generally are seeking positions of leadership ; they are
forceful, outspoken, hardheaded, and demanding; and they enjoy teaching and public
speaking.

2. Need for affiliation:

People with a high need for affiliation usually derive pleasure from being loved and
tend to avoid the pain of being rejected by a social group. As individuals, they are likely
to be concerned with maintaining pleasant social relationships, to enjoy a sense of
intimacy and understanding, to be ready to console and help others in trouble, and to
enjoy friendly interaction with others.

3. Need for achievement:

People with a high need for achievement have an intense desire for success and an
equally intense fear of failure. They want to be challenged, set moderately difficult (but
not impossible) goals for themselves, take a realistic approach to risk, prefer to assume
personal responsibility to get a job done, like specific and prompt feedback on how they
are doing, tend to be restless, like to work long hours, do not worry unduly about
failure if it does occur, and like to run their own shows.

The two sets of motivations mentioned here are not mutually exclusive and there may
be some overlapping. For example, the need for affiliation and the desire for response
may convey the same meaning. Further, achievement motivation may also be relevant
for farmers who are commercially oriented and have developed good managerial
ability.

11. Extension Agent as a Democratic Group Leader:

The extension agent is, in most cases, a leader appointed from outside, by an
organization to work with the rural people. The organization may be a Government
Department, an Educational Institution, a Corporation, or a Voluntary Agency. The
extension agent obtains authority from the organization which appointed the individual
and works within the framework of its rules and norms.

The main job is to implement the decisions of the organization, in the making of which
the individual may or may not have participated. The extension agents work with
several groups of people in the villages, but their loyalty is with the organization which
has appointed them. Because of this, the extension agent may be treated as an outsider
and may not be accepted by the village groups.

To earn the confidence of the rural people and to gain their acceptance, the best course
for the extension agent would be to work as a democratic leader by stimulating the
democratic group process among the rural people. The advantages of democratic group
process and its major characteristics are presented following Beal, Bohlen and
Raudabaugh (1963).

Democratic groups have greater motivation toward work, more member satisfaction,
and greater productivity. There is less discontent among members and less evidence of
frustration or aggression. There is more friendliness, cooperation and group-centered
esprit when democracy prevails. Despite the group orientation, more individual
initiative is displayed.

In the long run and whenever there are situations of great complexity, groups arrive at
a larger proportion of correct solutions. Involvement of people in group discussion and
reaching of decisions in a democratic atmosphere leads to more favourable attitude
towards the decision and better compliance with it. The essential characteristics of the
democratic group is that decisions are made by the group as a whole with each member
participating on the basis of one’s skills and interests.

More specifically, the characteristics are:

1. The goals and objectives of such a group are established by group interaction.

2. The means adopted to achieve these are determined by the same process.
3. The interaction process is such that each member feels both freedom to contribute
and responsibility for success.

4. Group consensus prevails, even though individuals do not completely agree, but
disagreeing individuals feel free to present their points of view.

5. Ideas are dealt with on the basis of their value to the group, rather than on a basis of
who introduces them.

6. The extension agents, who are in the position of formal leadership, recognize that
their major role is that of facilitating the group process.

Participation of the people in extension programmes is voluntary. The people have

complete freedom whether or not to join an extension programme. The behaviour of
the people has to be changed not by ordering or coercing, but by educating and
motivating them. Unless the people are convinced, unless they get good results, unless
they are satisfied, they shall turn their faces away from extension. To be successful,
extension, therefore, requires a democratic approach.

12. Changing Scenario in Agricultural Extension and Competencies

Needed by the Extension Agents Changing Scenario in Agricultural
Extension:
Since the beginning of the 21st century, some significant changes relevant to
agricultural extension have been visible.

The important ones are:

1. Need for helping farmers to build and maintain profitability in farming in

increasingly competitive markets.

2. Expected rise in purchasing power of the people, as well as their changing food
habits.

3. Avoidance and control of pollution.

4. To view agriculture as part of a wider set of rural development processes that include
enterprise development and non-farm employment.

5. Growing involvement of the corporate sector in rural life (through buying, selling,
producing, processing etc.)
6. Emphasis on computer – aided learning and dissemination of information.

Competencies Needed by the Extension Agents:

To cope with the above mentioned and various other situations, extension agents have
to develop some competencies.

As recommended by the National Centre for Agricultural Economics and

Policy Research, ICAR (2000), these are:

1. Obtaining and evaluating information on technologies, markets, infrastructure and

policies.

2. Communication with farmers: inter-personal communication, dialogue-counseling,

group dynamics, mass media and information communication technology (ICT).

3. Organizing farmers for collective decision-making.

4. Analyzing threats and opportunities for farmers and help them to make this analysis
themselves.

13. Evaluation in Extension:

According to van den Ban and Hawkins (1996), evaluation is used to determine
whether an extension programme has achieved its goals and whether these goals could
have been achieved more effectively in a different way. It enables extension
administrators, managers and agents to learn more effectively from their experience by
systematic observation and analysis of this experience.

The purpose of the evaluation will determine which data have to be collected for
evaluating an extension programme. A distinction may be made between formative
evaluation which gathers information for development of an effective extension
programme, and summative evaluation which tries to measure the end results of a
programme in order to decide whether or not it should be continued, expanded or
diminished.

Data collected may be quantitative or qualitative. The former are useful for measuring
changes achieved as a result of the extension programme, while the latter provide
information about the reasons why extension agents and farmers act in a certain way.

14. Scope of Extension:

Kelsey and Hearne (1967) identified nine areas of programme emphasis, which indicate
the scope of agricultural extension.

These are:

(1) Efficiency in agricultural production,

(2) Efficiency in marketing, distribution and utilization.

(3) Conservation, development, and use of natural resources.

(4) Management on the farm and in the home.

(5) Family living.

(6) Youth development.

(7) Leadership development.

(8) Community development and rural area development.

(9) Public affairs.

Extension is an integral part of agriculture and rural development programmes in

India. In fact, taking other things constant, the progress in production which has been
achieved in agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, veterinary, fishery, forestry,
sericulture etc. may be thought of as proportional to the strength of extension service in
the particular discipline.

Extension education is an integral part of teaching in agriculture, veterinary and

animal science, dairy, fishery, forestry, sericulture, home science, rural development,
social work etc. Extension helps in generating-knowledge appropriate to the people by
finding out their needs and problems.

The welfare of the people depends on the extent to which knowledge relevant to them
are converted into action. To attain this objective, extension principles and methods are
being used in varying degrees in medical, engineering, law and many other disciplines.
It is desirable that extension is applied more in various disciplines, so that they can
contribute more to the well-being of the people.

Human sufferings arising out of problems like overpopulation, illiteracy, ill health,
destruction of forests, natural calamities etc., to mention a few, are in many cases
preventable. People can be educated and motivated to take timely action, which shall
help in mitigating their sufferings. Extension has immense power in translating
knowledge into action. This understanding is important for organizations to work with
the people.

15. Systems Approach in Extension:

In the complexity, diversity and vastness of extension work, it may be useful to think of
extension in terms of system. A system is essentially a set or assemblage of things
interconnected, or interdependent, so as to form a complex unity.

The principal systems in agricultural extension are the client system and the change
agent system. The farmers who are in need of and desire change, comprise the client
system. Extension agents who influence the farmers’ innovation-decision process,
constitute the change agent system. Change agents provide a linkage between the
change agency and the client system.

Mention may be made of some other interrelated and important systems in agricultural
extension. These are, for example, the knowledge generating system, communication
system, input supply system, marketing systematic. Knowledge is generated through
research. Research for agriculture is carried out at the national and international levels.
In India, agricultural research is mainly carried out by the

Universities, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Institutes, All India

Coordinated Research Projects, Commodity Boards etc. Private organizations also
conduct research in agriculture and allied fields. But their main aim is to develop
unique products which may be protected by patents. Relevant technologies and
information generated at the national and international research systems form the
basis for agricultural extension work.

The technologies generated through research are selected and conveyed in the form of
messages to the ultimate users, the farm families, through the extension
communication system, comprising communicator, message, channel, and treatment,
audience and audience response.

Some are of the opinion that extension is only an educational job and, inputs and
services have no place in it. This may be partially true. When a new technology is taken
to the farmers, it is essential that the relevant critical inputs are also supplied, as they
may not be available in the market or difficult for the farmers to procure.

Even when supply of inputs and credit are entrusted to specialized organizations like
seed corporations, fertilizer corporations, agro-industries corporations, cooperatives,
banks etc. extension has the responsibility to oversee that the recommended inputs are
available to the farmers according to their need, in time, in adequate quantities and at a
fair price. Coordination of the input supply system becomes a major responsibility of
the extension service operated by the Government departments.

Farmers are generally motivated to adopt a technology, when remunerative price is

assured for what they produce. This may be ensured by a good marketing system which
shall take care of farmers’ transport, storage, pricing and other related aspects. A
systems approach shall help the extension agent to understand the clients’ problems in
their proper perspective and facilitate solving them more effectively.

16. Future Challenges for Extension:

In the emerging scenario, the task of extension has now become to be more challenging
which demands a system of market-led extension with specific focus on diversification,
post- harvest management, export orientation, market intelligence and consumer
orientation.

However, the most important challenge for the future extension system and its
managers would be the Management of Knowledge. In the coming years, the success of
a farmer is going to be primarily dependent upon his/her level of knowledge.

Agricultural extension programmes need to be oriented towards enhancing the

decision making abilities of rural people, especially farmers, by expanding their
exposure of effective organization and management skills in a knowledge-intensive
manner and not just new agricultural production technologies alone.

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