Introduction to Agricultural Extension

Extension science serves as practices and as a body of knowledge from which

practitioners derive their professional insight, in informal policy formulation,
programme implementation and assists extension system to attain higher
performance. There is no profession that has not profited from extension
services in one way or the other.

Extension – Meaning
The word ‘extension’ is derived from the Latin roots, ‘ex’ – meaning ‘out’ and
‘tensio’ meaning ‘stretching’. Stretching out is the meaning of extension. The
word ‘extension’ came to be used originally in USA during 1914 which means
“a branch of a university for students who cannot attend the university proper.
In other words, the word “extension” signifies an out-of school system of
education.
Agriculture:
The art and science of crop and livestock production. In its broadest sense,
agriculture comprises the entire range of technologies associated with the
production of useful products from plants and animals, including soil
cultivation, crop and livestock management, and the activities of processing
and marketing.
Agribusiness has been coined to include all the technologies that interconnect
in the total inputs and outputs of the farming sector.
Education: It is the production of desirable changes in knowledge (things
known), attitude (things felt) and skills (things done), either in all (or) one or
more of human behaviour. Education is an integral part of extension. The basic
concept of extension is that it is education. Extension means that type of
education, which is stretched out, to the people in rural areas, beyond the
limits of the educational institutions to which the formal type of education is
normally confined. Or education is the aggregate of all the processes
responsible for bringing about desirable changes in human behaviour.
Extension service refers to a program for agricultural development and rural
welfare which (usually) employees the extension process as a means of program
implementation.
Extension process is that of working with rural people through out of school
education along those lines of their current interest and need which are closely
related to gaining a livelihood improving the physical level of living of rural
families and fostering rural community welfare.

Definition and Concepts of Extension Education:

By a way of definition, various scholars, professionals and practitioners
have put forward many definitions regarding the concept of Extension
Education. As a matter of fact, there are as many definitions of Extension
Education as there are scholars, professionals and practitioners in the field of
knowledge generation, its utilization and rural development. Below are some
collections of various definitions of Extension Education:

1. Extension Education deals with practical items of information which is

useful for rural people which solve their daily problems, specially those
relations to agricultural production. (Thorat)
2. Extension Education is an integral behavioral science which contributes
towards the understanding and formulation of methods and procedures
for bringing planned change in human behavior.
3. Extension education is education for the betterment of people and for
changing their behavior i.e. knowledge, skill and attitude.
4. Extension education is the dissemination of useful research findings and
ideas among rural people to bring out desirable changes in their social
and cultural behavior.
5. Extension education in an applied behavioral science, the knowledge of
which is to be applied for desirable changes in the behavioral complex of
the people.
6. Extension is an education and its purpose is to change the attitude and
its purpose is to change the attitude and practices of the people with
whom the work is done.
7. Extension education is a science which deals with various strategies of
change in the behavioral patterns of human beings through technological
and scientific innovation for the improvement of their standard of living.
8. Extension is to teach a person how to think, not what to think, and to
teach people, to determine accurately their own needs to find solution to
their own problems and to help them acquire knowledge and develop
convictions in that direction.
9. Extension is an out-of school system of education in which adults and
young people learn by doing. It is a partnership between government, the
land grant colleges and the people, which provider services and
education designed to meet the needs of the people.
10. Extension education is an applied social science consisting of
relevant content derived from physical, biological and social sciences and
in its own process synthesized into a body of knowledge, concepts,
principles and procedures oriented to provide non-credit out of school
education largely for adults. - Paul Leagans (1971).
11. Extension Education is an applied science consisting of content
derived from research, accumulated field experiences and relevant
principles drawn from the behavioral science 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.– J.P. Leagans (1961)
12. Extension Education is the process of teaching rural people how to
live better by learning ways that improve their farm, home and
community institutions – J.P. Leagans (1961)
13. Extension Education is an out of school system of education in
which adult and young people learn by doing. It is partnership between
the Government and the people, which provides service and education
designed to meet the needs of the people. Its fundamental objective is the
development of the people. – Kelsey and Harne (1963)
14. Extension Education is a programme and a process of helping
village people to help themselves, increase their production and to raise
their general standard of living. – D. Ensminger (1961)
15. We can define Extension Education as the increased dissemination
of useful knowledge for improving rural life. – H.W. Butt (1961)
16. Extension Education is a two-way channel; it brings scientific
information to the village people, and also takes the problems of the
village people to the scientific institution for solution. It is a continuous
educational process, in which both learner and teacher contribute and
receive. – B. Rambhai (1958)
17. Extension Education is defined as an educational process to
provide knowledge to the rural people about the improved practices in a
convincing manner and help them to take decision within their specific
local conditions. – O. P. Dahama (1973)
Agricultural Extension
Agricultural extension was once known as the application of scientific research,
knowledge, and technologies to improve agricultural practices through farmer
education. The field of extension now encompasses a wider range of
communication and learning theories and activities (organized for the benefit of
rural people) by professionals from different disciplines. There is no widely
accepted definition of agricultural extension, but to see how this field has
evolved over the past 50+ years, look at 10 examples from different extension
books found.
Agricultural extension can generally be defined as the process of bringing
desirable change in the behaviour of the farmers to adopt innovations relating
to the field of agriculture in such a way that they are clear and convinced of
their utility.
It can be defined as service or system which assist farm people through
educational procedures in improving farming methods and techniques,
increasing production efficiency and income bettering their levels of living and
lifting social and educational standards of rural life (FAO 1973)
1. Agricultural Extension is a two-way channel; it brings scientific
information to the village people, and also takes the problems of the
village people to the scientific institution for solution. It is a continuous
educational process, in which both learner and teacher contribute and
receive. – B. Rambhai (1958)
2. Agricultural Extension education is an applied science consisting of
content derived from research, accumulated field experiences and
relevant principles drawn from the behavioral science 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.– J.P. Leagans (1961)
3. Agricultural Extension work is an out of school system of education in
which adult and young people learn by doing. It is partnership between
the Govt. and the people, which provides service and education designed
to meet the people. Its fundamental objective is the development of the
people. – Kelsey and Harne (1963)
4. Agricultural Extension is an education that brings about improvement in
a systematic way, through carefully planned and organized programmes
(Fenley and Williams, 1964)
5. Agriculture Extension is informal out-of-school system of education
designed to help rural people to satisfy their needs, interests and desires.
It is a system of education which involves adult learners (Obibuaku,
1983).
6. Agricultural extension is « a service or system which assists farm people,
through educational procedures, in improving farming methods and
techniques, increasing production efficiency and income, bettering their
levels of living and lifting the social and educational standards of rural
life ». A Reference Manual (Swanson, 1984).
7. Agricultural extension is a professional method of non-formal education
aimed at inducing behavioral changes in the farmers for increasing their
income through increased production and productivity by establishing
firm linkages with research for solving farmer’s problems ensuring
adequate and timely supply of inputs and using proven methods of
communication for speeding of the process of diffusion and adoption of
innovations." – Y. C. Sanoria (1986)
8. Agricultural Extension is a comprehensive programme of services
deliberately put in place for expanding, strengthening and empowering
the capacity of the present and prospective farmers, farm families and
other rural economic operators (Adedoyin, 2004).
9. Agricultural extension can be defined as the entire set of organizations
that support and facilitate people engaged in agricultural production to
solve problems and to obtain information, skills, and technologies to
improve their livelihoods and well-being (Birner, Davis, Pender, Nkonya,
Anandajayasekeram, Ekboir, et al., 2006).
 10. Agricultural Extension has been recently defined as systems that
facilitate the access of farmers, their organizations and other market
actors to knowledge, information and technologies; facilitate their
interaction with partners in research, education, agribusiness, and other
relevant institutions; and assist them to develop their own technical,
organizational and management skills and practices (Christoplos, 2010)
11. From the above definitions, it is gathered that From the above
definitions, it is concluded that:“Extension education is a professional
method of non-formal education to bring desirable Changes in
knowledge, skills, attitudes and understanding of the rural people to
improve their Social, economic and psychological status.”
Types of Education
a) Informal Education – Is the life long process by which every person acquires knowledge,
b) skills, attitudes and insights from daily experiences and exposure to the environment at
home, at work, at play etc.
b) Non-formal Education – Is an organized, systematic educational activity carried on outside the
frame work of the formal system to provide selected types of learning to particular subgroups in
the population, including adults and children. E.g.: adult education, vocational education,
functional literacy, continuing education, extension education etc.
c) Formal Education – Is highly institutionalized, chronologically graded and hierarchically
structured, education starting from primary school and reaching upto university
education.
Importance of Extension Education:

1. Extension uses democratic methods in educating the farmers.

2. Extension helps in adoption of innovations.

3. Extension helps in studying and solving the rural problems.

4. Extension increases farm yields and improve the standard of living of farmers.

5. Extension makes good communities better and progressive.

6. Extension contributes to national development programmers.

Importance of Agricultural Extension Extension lays emphasis on “How to

teach” instead of on “What to teach” so that the people can be encouraged to adopt
new research techniques easily. In other words, if a person is very knowledgeable
of various methods and techniques but does not know how to explain them or
express them, then his knowledge has no meaning. Therefore, the power to express
knowledge and viewpoint also plays a crucial role. To educate /motivate the
farmers for adoption of proved Agriculture Technology of crop husbandry evolved
by the Agriculture Research for obtaining highest return per unit area on
sustainable basis. Some of the important points relating to Agricultural Extension
are summarized as below.

 To make the country self-sufficient in food. To bridge up the agricultural

technology gap at grass root level, Act as mediator for researchers by updating
them with field problems of farmers and to help them in developing "Demand
Driven Technology.”

 To serve as single window systemfor providing all information regarding

agriculture, providing inputs like seeds & planting material through Farm Services
Centers.

 To produce organic crops through use of FFS approach.

 To coordinate the development of agriculture with other Nation Building

Departments , IGO,s and NGO,s. To educate rural people to attain/participate in
development,

 It provides information to farmers and passes to the farmers new ideas

developed by agricultural research stations, To develop a system of effective
research and extension linkages,  Agricultural extension, therefore, provides the
indispensable elements that farmers need to improve their agricultural productivity.
And to improve living conditions of small scale farmers.  Agricultural extension
programmes cover a broad area including improved crop varieties, better livestock
control, improved water management, and the control of weeds, pests or plant
diseases.

 An agricultural extension service offers technical advice on agriculture to

farmers, and also supplies them with the necessary inputs and services to support
their agricultural production. To link farmer with newly emerging globalize world
by providing them information and guidance,  Where appropriate, agricultural
extension may also help to build up local farmers' groups and organizations so that
they can benefit from extension programmes.

10. Agricultural Extension; its definitions, Objectives and Importance of Extension

Development of extension literature and its distribution among farmers &
extension functionaries.
  Department of Agricultural Extension's mission is to provide efficient and
effective needs based extension services to all categories of farmer, to enable them
to optimize their use of resources, in order to promote sustainable agricultural and
socio-economic development

 To generate employment in the field of agriculture and allied disciplines and to

generate an exportable surplus of Agricultural Production.

 More efforts will be made to enhance public- private-relationship in improving

the efficiency of technology transfer.

What is the purpose of agricultural extension?

a. It helps farmers to change their Behavior on a voluntary basis

b. It creates and shares new knowledge

c. It motivates, enables, and provides insights

d. It helps to form opinions and there is better decision-making

e. It assists with mutual and reciprocal learning

f. It creates and shares new agricultural technologies

g. It brings the world to farmers and farmers to the world

h. Extension is an intervention that can help farmers achieve a better quality of

life. When this happens, there are direct and indirect positive effects on national
and regional economies.

Why studying extension?

When you study extension it may do the following for you:

a. Teach you to work in an interdisciplinary environment

b. Help you to understand farming as a system

c. Develop your leadership skills

d. Enhance your skills to work with people

e. Help you to get a balance between technical competencies and human relation
competencies

f. Show you how the human being functions

g. Help you to understand how a human thinks and responds to this process

h. Develop your skills to work with small groups

i. Enhance your capabilities to communicate effectively and with confidence

j. Put you on a personal growth path

k. Show you how to manage people in an agricultural and working environment

l. Help you to understand the central role of people in agriculture.

Scope of Agricultural Extension

: The following nine areas of programme emphasis indicate the scope of

Agricultural Extension work, we must remember them :

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.

9. Public affairs.

Importance and Scope of Extension Education

Scope of Extension Education

It includes all activities of rural development. So extension programmers should be
dynamic and flexible. The areas indicating scope of Extension are listed below:

1. Increasing efficiency in agricultural production.

2. Increasing efficiency in marketing, distribution and utilization of agricultural

inputs and outputs.

3. Conservation, development and use of natural resources.

4. Proper farm and home management.

5. Better family living.

6. Youth development

7. Leadership development.

8. Community and rural development.

9. Improving public affairs for all round development.

Objectives of Extension Education

Objectives:

1. To raise the standard of living of the rural people by helping them in right use
of their resources.

2. To help in planning and implementing the family and village plans for
increasing production in various occupations.

3. To provide facilities for better family living.

Specific Objectives

1. To provide knowledge and help for better management of farms and increase
income.

2. To encourage the farmers to grow his own food, eat well and live well.
3. To promote better social, natural, recreational, intellectual and spiritual life
among the people. 4. To help rural families in better appreciation of SWOT in their
village.

5. To open new opportunities for developing talents and leadership of rural people.

6. To build rural citizens who are:

i) Proud of their occupation.

ii) Independent in thinking.

iii) Constructive in outlook.

iv) Capable, efficient and self-reliant in character.

v) Having love of home and country in their heart.

Objectives of Extension Education: The objectives of extension education are the

expressions of the ends towards which our efforts are directed. In other words, an
objective means a direction of movement. Before starting any programme, its
objectives must be clearly stated, so that one knows where to go and what is to
be achieved. The fundamental objective of extension education is the
development of the people. Extension is concerned with three basic tasks:

1. The dissemination of useful and practical information relating to agriculture

and home economics;

2. Practical application of such knowledge to help farmers/farm families and rural

people analyse their problems. These are carried out in an informal atmosphere,
with adults as main clientele and

3. Assisting farmers/farm families and rural people in using the technical

knowledge gained to better solve their own problems. Thus helping people to in
order to help themselves.

Agricultural extension in Ghana is primarily concerned with the following main

objectives:
1. The dissemination of useful and practical information relating to agriculture to
enable farmers farm more efficiently to increase incomes.

2. The practical application of useful knowledge to farm and home

3. Encourage farmers to grow their own food, eat well and live well

4. Help rural, people appreciate opportunities, beauties, and privileges of rural

life and the world around them

5. Promote better social, cultural recreational, intellectual and spiritual life among
rural people

6. Develop citizens proud of their occupation, independent in thinking

constructive in outlook, capable, efficient self-reliant and patriotic.

7. To improve all aspects of the life of the rural people within the framework of
the nation’s socio-economic policies.

Objectives of Agricultural Extension

Having looked at the definitions of agricultural extension, it is imperative to

equally look at the Objectives of extension. Every extension programme or activity
should have clearly defined objectives.

Definition of Objective

1. Leagan, (1963) defined an objective as a "direction of movement". This means

the direction which an extension worker wants to take his clientele or the distance
he wants to cover.

2. Kelsey and Hearne (1963) define objectives as, “expressions of ends towards
which our efforts are directed”.

3. Raudabaugh (1973) defines objectives as, “the criteria by which content is

outlined, materials selected, teaching procedures and learning experience
developed and progress toward accomplishment and accomplishments are
evaluated. In general Objectives are expressions of the ends towards which our
efforts are directed. In other Words, an objective is a statement of change in
knowledge, feeling or action we want to bring about in people. An objective is that
which a person, group or agency sets before itself as an object or condition to be
attained. Some extension workers like to make a distinction between the meaning
of “objectives” and “Goals”. Objectives are defined as “directions of movement”,
while a Goal is defined as the Distance in any given direction one expects to go
during a given period of time

The four elements common to modern agricultural extension programmes

according to Obinne (1997) included:

1. Knowledge to be extended

2. People to be served

3. A central extension organization and

4. Extension agent.

Kinds of Objectives. The objectives should be such which provide night direction
to the large number of people to set a direction and travel the distance between
theory and practice. Extension education in our country is primarily concerned
with the following main objectives: A.Fundamental Objectives of Agricultural
Extension:

These are the all-inclusive objectives of a society. They are also known as remote,
basic, or overall objectives. A fundamental objective is to teach people how to
determine their own problems, help them acquire knowledge about the problem,
and motivate them to the extent that they will want to do something about the
problems. Examples of such objectives are development of the individuals, of
communities, of the society itself, and of a county; good life, better citizenship, and
democracy. To create an environment for rural people so that they can show their
talent, leadership and efficiency. To provide appropriate solution of the farmer’s
problems. To bring the scientist closer to the farmers. The basic objectives of the
extension education are the overall development of the rural people.

B. General Objectives of Agricultural Extension These are more specific than

fundamental Objectives. These objectives are the bases for the long term
programme which aims at better crops, home, and income. We try to make people
more efficient, improve income, and improve the standards of living. General
objective of agricultural extension is to improve the quality of our farmer’s life
through sustainable agriculture. To bring about desirable changes in the human
behavior, which includes change in knowledge, skill and attitude?

More specifically stated, the following are general objectives or functions of

Extension.

1. To assist people to discover and analyze their problems their felt and unfelt
needs. Need is a difference between what is and what ought to be. It is the lack
of something. Need is what one desires

Felt needs/recognized needs are those existence the people are aware and feel
necessity of Fulfilling them.

Unfelt needs/Unrecognized needs are those whose necessity the people don’t
realize at present, but these none the less are important. Example of felt needs Low
yields in paddy- due low yielding varieties, wild boars and rodents( Examples of
unfelt needs Soil salinity problem, water shortage at maximum tillering stage.)

2. low yields in maize- due to water shortage, pest problems (Poor varieties)
3. To develop leadership among people and help them in organizing groups to
solve their problems
4. To disseminate information based on research and / or practical experience, in
such a manner that the farmer would accept it and put it into actual practice.
Ex: Transfer of IPM in cotton through training programmes and demonstrations
5. To keep the research workers informed of the farmer’s problems from time to
time, so that they may offer solutions based on necessary research. Ex: Botrytis
in castor, Heliothis in cotton, stem borers in sugarcane and fruit flies in guava.

C. Working/ Specific Objectives of Agricultural Extension

Working objectives have three parts-

1. Audience-Who are to be changed through dissemination of useful and practical

information relating to agriculture, including improved seeds, fertilizers,
implements, pesticides, improved cultural practices, dairying, poultry nutrition.
2. Type of change-knowledge, attitude or skill to make the people aware that
agriculture is a profitable profession.
3. 3, Content or message-What are you trying to teach (What you want them to
know, feel or do)
(i) The dissemination of useful & practical information through modern
technology relating to agriculture, including improved seeds, fertilizers,
implements, pesticides, improved cultural practices, dairying, poultry,
nutrition, collection of crop statistics etc
(ii) (ii) Provide information to growers on urgent issues like insect pest
outbreak, climatic changes, weather forecast.
(iii) Prevent adulteration of pesticides as per Agriculture Pesticide
Ordinance 1971
(iv) Prevent adulteration of fertilizer as per KPK Fertilizer Control Act 1999.
(v) To disseminate technologies concerned to all aspects of crop growing,
management & marketing to growers at their doorsteps through personal
contacts and various means of mass media.
(vi) The practical application of useful knowledge to farm & home; and
thereby ultimately to improve all aspects of the life of the rural people
within the framework of the national, economic & social policies
involving the population as a whole.

SMART objectives
Specific The objective should state exactly what is to be achieved.
Measurable An objective should be capable of measurement – so that it
is possible to determine whether (or how far) it has been achieved
Achievable The objective should be realistic given the circumstances in
which it is set and the resources available to the business.
Relevant Objectives should be relevant to the people responsible for
achieving them Time Bound Objectives should be set with a time-frame
in mind. These deadlines also need to be realistic.

Extension education has now developed as a full-fledged discipline, having its own
philosophy, objectives, principles, methods and techniques which must be
understood by every extension worker and others connected with the rural
development. It might be mentioned here that extension education, its principles,
methods and techniques are applicable not only to agriculture but also to
veterinary and animal husbandry, dairying, home science, health, family planning,
etc. Based upon its application and use, various nomenclatures have been given
to it, such as agricultural extension, veterinary and animal husbandry extension,
dairy extension, home science extension, public health extension, and family
planning extension.

Objectives of Extension Education: The objectives of extension education are the

expressions of the ends towards which our efforts are directed. In other words, an
objective means a direction of movement. Before starting any programme, its
objectives must be clearly stated, so that one knows where to go and what is to
be achieved. The fundamental objective of extension education is the
development of the people. Extension is concerned with three basic tasks:

1. The dissemination of useful and practical information relating to agriculture

and home economics;

2. Practical application of such knowledge to help farmers/farm families and rural

people analyse their problems. These are carried out in an informal atmosphere,
with adults as main clientele and

3. Assisting farmers/farm families and rural people in using the technical

knowledge gained to better solve their own problems. Thus helping people to in
order to help themselves. Agricultural extension in Ghana is primarily concerned
with the following main objectives: 1. The dissemination of useful and practical
information relating to agriculture to enable farmers farm more efficiently to
increase incomes. 2. The practical application of useful knowledge to farm and
home 3. Encourage farmers to grow their own food, eat well and live well 4. Help
rural, people appreciate opportunities, beauties, and privileges of rural life and
the world around them 5. Promote better social, cultural recreational, intellectual
and spiritual life among rural people 6. Develop citizens proud of their
occupation, independent in thinking constructive in outlook, capable, efficient
self-reliant and patriotic. 7. To improve all aspects of the life of the rural people
within the framework of the nation’s socio-economic policies.
PRINCIPLES, PHILOSOPHY PROCESSES OF EXTENSION

According to Mildred Horton (1952), the four great principles underlying

extension services
are:
1. The individual is supreme in democracy.
2. The home is a fundamental unit in a civilization.
3. The family is the first training group of the human race.
4. The foundation of any permanent civilization must rest on the partnership of
man and the
land.
Our objective in extension work is to help people reach higher levels of living-
physically,
mentally and spiritually. T o reach these higher levels of living, people must be
educated and
trained to meet their responsibilities in relation to God, to their neighbours and to
themselves.
They must also know how to meet the responsibilities imposed by their
environment. So we
work with them as individuals, as families in the home, and with their
environment.
Principles underlying the Philosophy of Extension
1. Extension is an organisation to plan, execute and evaluate programmes with the
people, and
not for the people.
2. Extension is an organisation set up to teach people and motivate them to action,
not to dictate
what people should do.
3. Extension should help people to help themselves.
4. Extension should be based on felt needs and enlightened desires of the people.
5. Extension should reach the people where they are.
6. Extension aims and objectives should not be rigid but it should be flexible
(Time, date etc.)
7. Extension should change the people and not the subject matter.
8. Extension should work in harmony with the culture of the people.
9. Democratic procedures must be adopted in the formulation and execution of the
programmes
(group ideas only)
Dimensions of Agriculture Extension
9 www.AgriMoon.Com
10. The designated programmes should give greatest benefit to greatest number of
people in a
society.
Philosophy of Extension
Philosophy is the pursuit of wisdom, a body of general principles or laws of a field
of
knowledge. 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.
The philosophy of extension work is based on the importance of an individual in
the promotion
of progress for rural people and for the nation. Extension Educators should work
with people to help
them, develop themselves and achieve superior well-being.
The basic philosophy of extension work that is directed at conversion of the whole
man
determines the approach that must be adopted for its implementation. Compulsion
or even a
beneficent act does not necessarily improve the man. The only way to secure
cooperation of a
person for betterment is to educate him. Therefore the primary aim is to transform
the people by
bringing about desired changes in their knowledge, attitude and skills.
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 the 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 looking ahead.

Principles of extension education: The extension work is based upon some

working principles
and the knowledge of these principles is necessary for an extension worker. Some
of these
principles, as related to agricultural extension, are mentioned below.
1. Principle of interest and need. Extension work must be based on the needs and
interests of the people. These needs and interests differ from individual to
individual, from village to village, from block to block, and from district to
district and, therefore, there cannot be one programme for all people.
2. Principle of cultural difference. Extension work is based on the cultural
background of the people with whom the work is done. Improvement can only
begin from the level of the people where they are. This means that the extension
worker has to know the level of the knowledge, and the skills of the people,
methods and tools used by them, their customs, traditions, beliefs, values etc.
3. Principle of participation. Extension helps people to help themselves. Good
extension work is directed towards assisting rural families to work out their own
problems rather than giving them ready-made solutions. Actual participation and
experience of people in these programmes creates self-confidence in them and
also they learn more by doing.
4. Principle of adaptability. People differ from each other, one group differs from
another group and conditions also differ from place to place. An extension
programme should be flexible, so that necessary changes can be made whenever
needed, to meet the varying conditions.
5. The grass roots principle of organisation. A group of rural people in local
community should show ownership of extension work. The programme should fit
in with the local conditions. The aim of organising the local group is to
demonstrate the value of the new practices or programmes so that more and more
people would participate.
6. The leadership principle. Extension work is based on the full utilisation of local
leadership. The selection and training of local leaders to enable them to help carry
out extension work is essential to the success of the programme. People have
more faith in local leaders and they should be used to put across a new idea so as
to gain acceptance with the least resistance.
7. The whole-family principle. Extension work will have a better chance of
success if the extension workers have a whole-family approach instead of
piecemeal approach or separate and unintegrated approach. Extension work is,
therefore, for the whole family, i.e. for male, female and the youth.
8. Principle of co-operation. Extension is a co-operative venture. It is a joint
democratic enterprise in which rural people co-operate with their village, block
and district officials to pursue a common cause.
9. Principle of satisfaction. The end-product of the effort of extension teaching is
the satisfaction that comes to the farmer, his wife or youngsters as the result of
solving a problem, meeting a need, acquiring a new skill or some other changes in
behaviour. Satisfaction is the key to success in extension work. "A satisfied
customer is the best advisements’.
10. The evaluation principle. Extension is based upon the methods of science, and
it needs constant evaluation. The effectiveness of the work is measured in terms
of the changes brought about in the knowledge, skill, and attitude and adoption
behaviour of the people but not merely in terms of achievement of physical
targets.

Principles of Extension Education Principles:

A principle is a statement of policy to guide decision and action in a consistent

manner (Mathews). A principle is a universal truth that has been observed and
found to be truth and a settled rule of action.

The principles of extension education are given hereunder:

A. Principle of cultural difference:

1. People differ in thinking, living and culture.

2. Extension education methods should be in line with these differences.

3. It is difficult to recognize non-material culture than material culture.

4. The blue print of extension programme for one area may not suit to other areas.

5. Changes will have to be made in the programmes according to changing

situations.

B. Principle of cultural change:

1. Culture undergoes change due to extension.

2. Change occurs otherwise also.

3. Extension Workers should gain the confidence of people.

4. Extension workers should organize result demonstration.

5. After increasing production, the Extension workers should concentrate on

marketing.

6. Extension workers have to change to meet the cultural changes among the
people.

C. Principle of grass-root organization:

1. Extension workers should pay attention to all the groups’ needs and interests.

2. Imposed innovations have no relevance to groups.

3. People will accept the innovations only when they find those useful.

D. Principle of interests and needs:

1. People and extension workers should work together.

2. Co-operation and help of each other needed for social upliftment.

E. Principle of interests and needs:

1. People should voluntarily participate.

2. Work should start from interests and needs of people.

3. Fulfillment of needs create interests.

4. First concentrate on felt needs and then develop felt needs.

E. Principle of participation:

1. Attachment will not develop by offering ready made things.

2. Participation develops leadership and increases confidence.

3. Involving leaders increases people’s participation.

7. Principle of adaptability in the use of teaching methods:

1. People differ in knowledge and understanding.

2. Method should vary accordingly.

3. Use of more than one method is beneficial.

4. If needed new methods must be devised to meet new situations.

12. 8. Principle of leadership:

1. Extension workers should utilize local leadership for increasing speed of work.

2. Identification, training and encouragement of leaders is necessary.

9. Principle trained specialists:

1. Agricultural and other sciences are developing speedily.

2. Maintaining competency in any of these sciences is a continuous process.

3. Without specialist’s support the extension cannot strive.

4. SMS is responsible to solve the extension workers problems.

5. Subjects Matter Specialist (SMS) is a link between research and application of

research.

6. SMS should have broad outlook and be well versed.

10. Principle of satisfaction:

1. The extension programme should give satisfaction to the people.

2. People will not participate if they do not get satisfaction.

13. 11. Principle of whole family approach:

1. Extension work should reach all the family members.

2. Neglecting any member may result in rejection of innovations e.g. Hybrid maize
in U.P. 12. Principle of evaluation:

1. Determining the research results in unbiased way is necessary.

2. Intermittent review of progress is necessary.

3. Corrective measures are needed if the direction is found wrong

4. Behavioural changes should be measured.

5. Evaluation helps in improving the quality of work.

HISTORICAL ANTECEDENT OF EXTENSION EDUCATION

Objectives:
By studying this unit, students are expected to:
Understand the development of extension education in the world
Learn about the factors or antecedents of extension education
Appreciated the development of extension services in Ghana
History of Extension Education in the World
The word “Extension” was first time used to describe the concept of taking
teaching and
learning outside the walls of university in the form of “University Extension” or
“Extension of
the University” in Britain in 1840. Many scholars and academics in Europe and
elsewhere used
the word Extension to describe the concept of extending university education to the
working
masses, who by the virtue of their work could not be on university campus to
obtain university
education. In his report entitled “suggestions for the Extension of the university” in
1850,
William Sewell of Britain used the word Extension in calling for the need to take
teaching and
learning outside the boundaries of university campus so as to provide opportunity
for the
working population to obtain university education and benefit from knowledge
generated in the
various universities and other educational institutions of higher learning.
Also, James Stuart of Trinity College, Cambridge University in 1867-68, used the
word
extension when he was addressing “Women Association and Working Men’s
Clubs” of North
England. Again in 1871, he appealed to the officials of the Cambridge University
to establish
Extension centres under the supervision of university, so that these centres can be
used as a
platform to deliver lecture to the people. His effort in this field earned him the
aculeate “Father
of University Extension”. In a formal way, Cambridge University in 1873, London
University in
1876 and Oxford University in 1878 developed Extension system, which worked
among people.
In 1880, James Stuart work came to be known as “Extension movement”.
According to
Webster’s dictionary the term “Extension” means “Branch of a university for
student who cannot
attend the University properly”. In other words, the word ‘Extension’ is used in the
context
which signifies an out of school system of education.”
In the eighth decade of the 19th century, the word Extension was used in the form
of Extension
education in U.S.A. This was to respond to the problem of rural people migration
to urban areas
which characterized labour mobility in the latter half of the 19th century. This
phenomenon
created two major problems in U.S.A.:
(i) The migration of rural people to cities created labour constraint in the rural area
and
Agricultural Extension Education and Development of Audio-Visuals Page 7
hence, the agricultural sector suffered a setback, and
(ii) The increase of urban population created education, employment and housing
related
problems.
Therefore, in curtailing this problem, the Philadelphia Committee was established
in 1785. The
committee recommended the institutionalization of “Out of school education” in
order to keep
rural people in rural areas. Also in 1862 President Roosevelt established a “county
commission”
under the chairmanship of Liverty Hydevelle. Its objectives were:
(i) How to stop migration of rural people to cities?
(ii) How to engage rural people in agricultural and rural development programmes?
The above recommendations were arrived at based on the fact that industrial
development is not
possible without agricultural development for that matter the rural areas must not
be deprived of
the needed human resource to help in the agricultural development. The
implementation of the
above recommendation required institutionalization of out of school educational
institution to
organize extension education. The passage of Smith Leaver Act (1914) provides
the legal
framework for the establishment of out of school educational institution to
organize and manage
the dissemination of knowledge and practical skills to the rural population. The
passage of the
Act also led to the integration of cooperative Extension service by which out of
school education
was organized. As a result, rural people were able to bring about developments and
progress in
farming and housing. This type of education comes to be known as “Agricultural
Extension
Education”.