3.2

• Approach


  A way of dealing with something : a way of doing or thinking about something
• Approach refers to the style of the action within an extension system, embodies philosophy, and is the essence of the system
• Approach sets the pace for all the activity of the system and is the doctrine for the system which informs, stimulates, and guides such aspects of the system
• Characteristics of an approach based on seven dimensions

  • Assumption (Dominant identified problem)
  • Purpose
  • Program Planning
  • Nature of field personnel (ratio of field staff to client, levels of training, reward system, origin, gender)
  • Required resources and various cost factors
  • Typical implementation techniques used
  • Measures of success
• Major extension approaches


  • General extension approach
  • Commodity specialized approach
  • Training and visit approach
  • Participatory extension approach
  • Project approach
  • Farming systems development approach
  • Cost-sharing approach
  • Educational-institution approach

  
• General extension approach

  Most popular in the world, known as the classical approach
• General extension approach


  • Assumption: technology and information are available which are not used by the farmers
  • Purpose: to help farmers increase their production
  • Program Planning: government changes in priority from time to time (done on a national basis)
  • Field personnel: Large in number that tends to have high costs
  • Success is measured in terms of adoption of important recommendations and increases in national production

  
• General extension approach


  • E-Extension Program for Agriculture and Fisheries
  • BSU on Air

  
• Commodity specialized approach


  • Assumption: the way to increase productivity and production of a particular commodity is to group functions that are related to each other
  • Purpose: to help farmers increase their production
  • Program Planning: controlled by a commodity organization and implementation is through field staff
  • Success is measured in terms of the total production of the particular crop
• Commodity specialized approach


  • Development of Bamboo Pilot Plantation in Laguna

  
• Training and visit approach

  • Assumption: technology and information are available which are not used by the farmers (similar with the general approach)/field personnel are poorly trained, not up-to-date, and tend not to visit farmers
  • Purpose: induce the farmers to increase production of specified crops
  • Program Planning: centralized. Decisions in terms of what should be taught and when should be taught are made by professionals. Follows the cropping pattern of priority crops, and tends to feature rigid scheduling
  • Field personnel: Large in number that tends to have high costs
  • Success is measured by increase in yields and total production of crops being emphasized

  
• Training and visit approach

  • Enhancing and Sustaining Production of Disease-free Banana Plantlets in Cagayan Valley

  
• Participatory approach


  • Assumption: farmers have much wisdom regarding production of food from their land, but their levels of living could be improved by learning more from the outside
  • Purpose: increase production of farming people, increase consumption and enhance the quality of life of rural people
  • Program Planning: it is being controlled locally-like farmer's association
  • Implementation: meetings, demonstrations are common in this approach
  • Resources required: extension workers who are not only "non-formal agricultural educators, but also animators and catalyst
  • Success is measured through continuity of local extension organizations and the benefits to the community of extension activities
• Paradigm shift is the existing paradigm is no longer applicable to the current situation that led to a creation of a new paradigm
• Key elements of conventional and participatory view of farmer-scientist (researcher, extension worker) relations


  • Scientist - expert; farmer - layman / Scientist and farmer are experts in their own knowledge and experience
  • Scientist represents modern agriculture; farmers - traditional agriculture / Both type of knowledge merit respect
  • Scientists and farmers show deference from each other / Scientist and farmer show mutual respect for each other
  • Scientist asks questions; farmers give answers and comply / Scientists and farmers listen, share experiences, learn from each other
  • Scientists make decisions, farmers comply / Farmers are partners of scientists, and are decision makers
  • Scientists teach & convince farmers of new technology, farmers learn from scientists / Scientist & farmer jointly examine how technology addresses needs of farmers in a sound, effective & sustainable way
• Project approach


  • Assumption: Rapid agricultural and rural development is necessary because the government has no impact either to the production or rural people within an appropriate time frame. For better results, it can be achieved by taking a project approach in a particular location, during a specified time period, large infusion of outside resources
  • Purpose: To demonstrate what can be done in few years
  • Implementation: Project allowances for field staff, better transportation, facilities, equipment and housing
  • Short run change is the measure of success
• Farming systems development approach

  • Assumption: Technology which fits the needs of farmers, particularly small farmers is not available, and needs to be generated locally
  • Purpose: To provide extension personnel with research results tailored to meet the needs of the local farming conditions
  • Implementation: Partnership of research and extension personnel with each other and local farmers - sometimes involve the several scientific disciplines, carrying out analyses and field trials in farmers' field and homes
  • Measure of success is when the farm people adopt the technologies developed by the program and continue to use them overtime
• "What a man sees he has no doubt; what a man hears, he can doubt; but what a man does to himself, with his own hands, he cannot doubt." - Bailey, 1945
• Cost sharing approach


  • Assumption: The program is more likely to fit local situations, and personnel are more likely to serve local people's interest if part of the cost of agricultural extension is paid locally. Farm people are too poor to pay for the whole cost so the central and regional governments typically provide for it
  • Purpose: To help farm people to learn things they need to know for self-improvement and increase productivity
  • Implementation: Field personnel are recruited locally, cost less, and remain in one location for long period of time
  • Success is measured by farm people's willingness and ability to provide some share of cost, individually or through their local government units
• Education institution approach


  • Assumption: Faculties and colleges have technical knowledge which is relevant and useful to farm people
  • Purpose: To help people to learn scientific agriculture
  • Program planning: Controlled by the government to determine the curriculum of the education institutions
  • Implementation: Non formal instruction in groups, with individuals and other methods and techniques, sometimes conducted by a college or a university with extension personnel
  • Success is measured by attendance and the extent of participation by farm people in the school's agricultural extension activities