Extension Education and Communication
Extension Education and Communication tests the methods used to take proven technology to farmers, and the communication theory that explains why some farmers adopt and others do not.
Principles and methods
Extension is out-of-school education, voluntary, democratic and based on farmers' needs - it helps people help themselves. Methods are classified as:
- Individual: farm visit, telephone call, office visit - best for specific problems.
- Group: method demonstration (shows how to do a task), result demonstration (proves a practice gives higher yield), field day, group meeting, campaign.
- Mass: radio, TV, newspaper, social media, exhibition - fastest reach, least feedback.
Diffusion and communication
Adoption stages: awareness, interest, evaluation, trial, adoption. Adopter categories: innovators about 2.5%, early adopters 13.5%, early majority 34%, late majority 34%, laggards 16%. Berlo's SMCR model has source, message, channel and receiver, with feedback and noise as moderators.
Worked example
A village of 200 farmers must learn seed treatment before sowing. Choose a method demonstration at the seed depot plus a field day, supported by a printed leaflet. Reasoning: the task is a skill needing hands-on practice, so group demonstration beats a radio talk, while the leaflet reinforces the message for late attenders.
Traps that cost marks
Prescribing mass media for skill training; swapping method and result demonstrations; listing feedback as part of the message; assuming innovators are the majority.