Making Research and Science Reach Farmers and End Users

Arab organization for Agricultural Development

Making Research and Science Reach
Farmers and End Users
By

Arab organization for Agricultural Development

(AOAD)

Making Research and Science Reach Farmers and End Users

Situation
The new millennium is well known as the witness of
several revolutions or explosions in all the areas of
our life including, for example, science, technology,
information and communication.


Situation
The rapid advancements, in agricultural research
and sciences, have resulted in better technologies
for achieving the goals of modernizing agriculture
through new best-fit practices and technologies for
more effective crop and livestock management,
enhancing food production and productivity,
improving the quality of rural life and sustaining the
environment


Situation
Agriculture, therefore, has become a knowledgeintensive and highly sophisticated industry or
business.
The availability of new agricultural technologies and
best-fit practices does not guarantee their
application by farmers and end users due to several
economic and socio-cultural challenges.


Situation
Moreover, farmers and end users have their own
local indigenous knowledge, skills and experiences
that are lagging behind, especially among poor
farmers.


Agricultural extension systems
Agricultural extension systems, as organizational
arrangements to link agricultural research and
educational institutions with farmers, producers and
end users.
Bridge this lag, through integrating these two
different types of knowledge, skills and experiences.


Agricultural extension systems
These systems could be considered as tools or
approaches, used by the Governments of all
countries to achieve the goals and objectives of
agricultural development through making research
and science reach farmers and end users.


Agricultural extension definition
continuous process includes
complementary, namely:

two

main

components

and

Communication component: Transfer information , knowledge,
techniques and modern agricultural practices to farmers and endusers.
Educational component: Help farmers and end-users to
understand and correct application, at the appropriate time.


The concept of agricultural extension
Transfer of research results , ,scientific solutions of , ,
Transfer of research results scientific solutions of
farmers problems
farmers problems

Research
centers and
institutions of
agricultural
education

Agricultural
extension

Farmers /
producers / endusers

Transfer farmers' problems and the applying research from
Transfer farmers' problems and the applying research from


Investment in Agricultural extension
Investment in extension efforts, programs and projects is
essential and considered a high priority due to the following
considerations:
1- The majority of farmers and end users are lagging behind the
ever-advancing new practices and technologies.
Consequently, we need agricultural extension to help them
to deal with latest scientific and technological advancements in
agriculture.


2- New practices and technologies significantly increase the
production and productivity of crops.
Agricultural extension, help farmers and end users to
understand and early apply these new practices and
technologies.


3- Most of the agricultural production units (farms) are relatively
small, dispersed and lack organization and supporting
services. These units need extension support to cope with
the ever-changing surrounding environments.


4- Most of the labor force in agriculture has relatively low levels
(in terms of education, information, knowledge, training and
experience). They need extension assistance to
compensate their deprivation of the basic new agricultural
knowledge and experiences.


The Agricultural Extension Systems:
Non-formal Education (NFE): prevailed in the early days of
guidance, in Europe and North America, to teach and train
individuals rural people who are unable to attend formal
education programs .
Technology Transfer: prevailed during the 1970s & 1980s ,
implementation of the Training and Visit System (T & V) in many
countries in the continents of Africa and Asia.


The Agricultural Extension Systems:
Advisory Services: through the Ministry of Agriculture, and the
private sector.
Guidance facilitation Extension: It is a development of the
participatory extension methods that have been used during the
last two or three decades.


All of these systems are helping to achieve the following
goals :
Achieving national food security.
(Transferring New Agricultural Technologies)

Improving the living standards of rural people .
(Increasing Farm Income)

Improving the management of natural resources
(Training Farmers to Use Sustainable Natural Resource
Management Practices.)


The responsibility of extension workers, as change
agents
To improve farmers' and end users' behavior through
the following seven sequential roles:
1.Developing the need for change among their target
groups / clients.
2. Establishing an information exchange relationship.
3. Diagnosing the problem.


The responsibility of extension workers, as change
agents
4.Creating an intent to change in the client.
5. Translating the intent into action.
6. Stabilizing the new behavior (the adoption of the
recommended technology).
7. Achieving a terminal relationship with clients.


Actions that enable access research and science to
farmers and end users
Several policy, organizational and institutional
arrangements are needed to facilitate and activate the
processes, efforts and programs of making research and
sciences reach farmers and end users. Among the most
important of these arrangements are the following:


1.Establishing and activating Public Private Partnerships
links and partnerships among basic actors and service
providers.
2.Establishing knowledge sharing and exchange
mechanisms among researchers, extension workers and
farmers.
3. Activating horizontal diffusion of technology through
Farmer-To-Farmer extension, and using the power of
powerful of local community leaders.


4.Establishing local platforms for a more pluralistic
extension systems and approaches that coordinate and
integrate extension efforts of the government, private
sector and civil society.
5. Use successful dissemination of modern knowledge
and technology to farmers and end users needs effective
EWs. Yet, many countries lack sufficient numbers of
EWs.


6.Increasing the numbers of extension workers /farmers
so as not to increase the number of farmers and endusers in the circle of government action guide (1 EW/
500 farms).
7.The private sector is increasingly, providing extension
services. This role needs to be integrated with both
governmental and CSOs' arrangements.


8.Decentralization of some extension services could help
in decreasing the loads of the central government
through delegating some of the central level authorities
and responsibilities to lower administrative levels. This
mechanism needs empowering of the local / grass root
levels of extension personnel through effective training .


Thank you for your
attention

Making Research and Science Reach Farmers and End Users

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