FOR 1 Chapter 7

• Forestry


  A science that deals with the management and care of the forest, including those that directly and indirectly influencing the performance or outcome of forest
• Extension


  Uses a methods of non-formal education that aim to change people's behavior, which enhances their ability to deal with their problem. The ultimate goal is to achieve improved quality of life.
• Forestry Extension


  The process of disseminating useful information and technology to address the social condition of forest communities and the bio-physical environment to which they have constant interactions. It is any forestry activity in which local people are willingly and directly involved in a planned program for their own benefit.
• Forestry extension could be defined as a system of non-formal education designed to develop among forestry public favorable attitudes toward, and desired capabilities for forest conservation.
• Forestry Extension


  • Non-formal education in various forms of capacity building activities that introduce innovations involving the upland community
  • Aims to improve the quality of life of people living in the forest while conserving and protecting it
• Enactment into law of forestry extension better known as RA 3523


  June 30, 1963
• Creation of the National Forestry Extension Committee composed of representatives from the Bureau of Forestry, Parks and Wildlife Office, UPCF, Reforestation Administration and FORPRIDECOM


  1964
• First National Conference on Kaingin Problem which recommended among others, massive information campaign and institutionalization of information dissemination to abate the kaingin problem

  1965
• Signing of an agreement between UP College of Forestry and the Bureau of Elementary Education for the integration of forest conservation education in science courses

  1971
• Masaganang Kagubatan was born focused on educating the masses about the relationship of the forest with the various components of the economy. This was participated by 26 agencies with the support of the Kapisanan ng mga Broadcasters sa Pilipinas


  1975 to 1977
• Forestry extension focused on information and education campaigns (IEC) as a component of forestry projects


  1980 to present
• Principles of Participatory Extension

  • People are the most important variable in upland development or conservation
  • Villagers should be seen as active partners or subject, not objects of development
  • Community members have the capacity to undertake their own analysis of their condition, decide and implement their solutions, monitor and evaluate their plans and activities
  • Group decisions and activities will have longer lasting results than efforts carried alone by individuals
• Forestry Extension Models

  • Havelock's model
  • Top-down technology transfer model
  • Feedback technology transfer model
  • Farmer first model
  • Beyond Farmer first
• Top-down technology transfer model


  • One way process
  • Less involvement of farmers
  • Works well in promoting a single commodity grown in a relatively uniform and predictable environment
  • Fixed roles of participants and with little flexibility for farmers to modify the prescribed procedure for growing (e.g., contract growing)
• Feedback technology transfer model


  • Feedback function remains vested exclusively with the extension service
  • Design of the experiment/research is determined by the research institution
  • Fixed roles of actors
  • Feedback is considered to be weak
  • Users remain passive recipients of technology and the feedback function solely rests with the extension service
• Farmer first model (Farmer-back to -farmer model)


  • Research begins and ends with farmers
  • Extensionist participates in diagnosis, design, experimentation, and monitoring and evaluation of technology adoption
  • Farmer is involved in all stages of FSRE
  • Dynamic; no fixed roles of actors
• Beyond the "Farmer First"


  • An effort to answer the weaknesses of the farmer first model
  • Provides analytical depth and presents more radical programs that incorporate a socio-politically differentiated view of development where factors such as age, gender, ethnicity class, age, and religion are related
  • Some initiatives are now taking place such as adaptive collaborative management and the sandwich approach which take into consideration the synthetical aspects of institutional capability to evolve ways of dealing with partners
• Stages of diffusion technology

  • Awareness
  • Interest
  • Evaluation
  • Trial
  • Adoption
• Four stage model of diffusion technology

  • Knowledge
  • Persuasion
  • Decision
  • Confirmation
  • Later adoption/continued rejection
• Characteristics of innovations

  • Relative advantage
  • Compatibility
  • Complexity/simplicity
  • Trialability
  • Observability
• Adopter Categories

  • Innovators
  • Early adopters
  • Early majority
  • Late majority
  • Laggards
• Forestry Extension Techniques

  • Mass contact
  • Individual contact
  • Group contact
• Mass contact


  • Print
  • Broadcast
  • Audio-visual
• Individual contact


  • Farm and home visit
  • Technical assistance or consultation
  • Informal discussion
• Group contact


  • Method demonstration
  • Result demonstration
  • Farmers' class
  • Field trips
• Characteristics of an extension worker

  • Ability to communicate
  • Possess qualities such as empathy, technical credibility, humility
  • Ability to get well with people
  • Enthusiastic about the job
  • Professional commitment and career planning
• Use different modalities that fit the target beneficiaries/audience
• Avoid the barriers to effective communication