The benefits of Agricultural extension in Agricultural society.
The role of rural agricultural extension in poverty alleviation
Numerous studies have investigated the role of rural agricultural extension programs in poverty alleviation. For example, Dube (2017) revealed that these programs play critical roles in providing farmers’ awareness through improved technology adoption which leads to improved business efficiency and sustained livelihoods. Zaid (2015) reported that agricultural extension hastens the transmission and adoption processes of novel crop varieties and other innovations as well as enhancing farmers’ management skills. It also advocates for the efficient utilization of present technologies by enhancing the technological expertise of farmers (Dube, 2017). Therefore, the role of agricultural extension goes beyond just facilitating the transfer of technology and embedded training to helping groups of farmers with marketing approaches in their farming business. Besides, United State Agency for International Development (USAID) (2002) stated that extension helps tackle such rural community concerns as observing food safety and farming production, preservation of resources, nourishment, household health and education, youth improvement as well as joining hand with far-reaching service benefactors and other sectors. For extension programs to be effective in responding to the demands of their clients, in the long run, the service providers ought to be accountable to the beneficiaries of the services or products.
Agricultural extension plays a significant role in community development. Its role in testing and disseminating research-based agricultural knowledge and technology to rural people results in improvements in the agricultural sector. Extension has facilitated the dissemination of information about new crop varieties, species of fish and livestock, and associated production and management practices leading to the improved socio-economic status of the rural communities.
Despite these important roles played by rural extension programs, reported that unless related to the production agenda of the farmers with the goal of poverty reduction in rural areas, extension service methods and their transfer mechanisms will have little impact. This is because farmers need information regarding the best technological application for agricultural productivity as well as post-harvest information that includes handling, storage, processing, and marketing. Furthermore, they need suitable and scientifically proven information concerning certain challenges like processing and market opportunities, livestock, and crop pest/disease management to overcome these challenges working against good farming techniques as well as proper information on the influence of a changing climate. Bringing it together, these studies suggest that the effectiveness of extension service delivery largely depends on whether the needs of the beneficiaries, the farmers in this case are met. Therefore, identifying farmer needs becomes a crucial step in the success of rural extension programs in alleviating poverty.
Identification of farmer needs in extension
According to Rivera (1996), information required by farmers varies depending on the groups of farmers and as such, it may be designed to target a particular category. For instance, information can be tailored based on landholding capacity or agro-climatic region. Moreover, diverse farmers possess different information search behavior based on reasons including education level and resource accessibility. Meaning that extension program delivery methodologies should constantly be adjusted to meet farmers’ needs in their particular environmental and socio-economic settings. Ultimately, as observed , rural farmers need knowledge on several aspects of rural incomes to enhance their livelihoods and reduce their vulnerability to poverty.
The Participatory method acknowledges the significance of indigenous and outside knowledge; farmers vigorously pursue relevant information suiting their needs, regardless of where it is coming from . This usually involves asking the farmers in focus group discussions to describe their needs and the nature of challenges limiting their farming activities. Based on the responses of the farmers, an extension worker can identify their needs. However, indicated that if the competence and general efficiency of extension workers are to be raised, then preparation, training, and organization of human resources surrounded by extension groups are indispensable.