Nama : Alya Desilva

Npm : 2014211009

Planning Extension Programs

Planning is the foundation for planned change. Frontline extension workers are expected to
develop extension programs to meet the needs of local food production or community
development.

Program Planning in Extension

is the process by which members of an organization or community envision the future and
develop the processes and operations necessary to achieve that future.

Elements of a Good Extension Program Plan include:

Clear and measurable goals. Focus on the needs of the target audience.
List of activities that are relevant to achieve the goals that have been set. Outline of inputs
and resources (funding, staff, partners) required for the program. A clear implementation plan
when, where, how and to whom. A plan for evaluation

Types of Extension Education Programs

There are three types of educational programs:

 Development Program, The goal is to empower local communities to define and solve
their own problems, problems or needs.
 Institutional Program, aims to promote the growth and development of basic
knowledge, skills and abilities of individuals
 Information Program ,The main objective in such a program is the exchange of
information with the intended audience

Steps in Program Planning

 Involve stakeholders in planning dialogue

 Perform a situation analysis
 Develop program goals and objectives
 Choose educational methods and materials

Implement the program: An effective way to present a program plan is to develop a program
logic model next Evaluate and report results Evaluation is a systematic investigation of the
value or benefits of a program. It provides information to help improve the program.
Planning, implementation and evaluation are part of the whole, and they work best when they
work together.
And Participation is Key An educational program is successful when everyone affected by
the program is involved in some way or participates in the program As for Suggestions for
Extension Program Planning It is important that individuals planning extension programs be
reflective and thoughtful.
 Good Practice Tools for Participatory Programs Planning

Tool 1 : Conduct a Needs Assessment

Need is a condition characterized by a lack of something that is considered a need. "Need" is

different from "want" where "want" denotes desire for something.

The need that is felt by the community and recognized by the extension worker is called
expressing the perceived need. The need that is felt by the community but is not realized by
the extension worker is a need that is felt that is not expressed.
Ascribed needs are needs that are defined or identified by outsiders, and may or may not be
present in the community. In contrast to normative needs are needs that are believed by
experts or extension workers as community needs.

the main needs assessment methods

 Group dynamics method
 Social networking methods carry information Survey method
 Social indicator method

Types of information that can be collected are Demographic information includes population
size and the age, race, caste, and gender of its members.

 Information on political and legal structures

help you understand community-based selection of leaders and key players in
development. A survey will be useful in finding this information.
 Economic information
help identify the economic base and distribution of your community's resources. A
survey will be useful because people will feel uncomfortable talking about it in a
public forum.
 Geographical and infrastructure
information including roads, electricity, irrigation systems, total project area, etc.
 Tool 2: Prioritize Needs and Problems

Prioritizing is the process of ascribing a value or importance to each item and then placing
them in descending or ascending order of importance

In setting priorities, you need to consider two factors

 Importance of necessity: For example, peanuts are grown as a cash crop by some
farmers, but maize is grown by all households and low yields are a problem. That
makes the increase in corn yields the higher the need.
 Eligibility of needs fulfillment: Feasibility can involve factors such as season,
funding, and political will.

The importance of a need can be determined by the following factors:

 Mission linkage
 Urgency
 The size of the gap
 Number of people affected

The feasibility of a need is determined by the following factors (Oakley and Garforth, 1997):
 Acceptability
 Required resources
 The power of change
 Perception of eligibility