Agricultural development; Opportunities and threats for farmers and implications for extension organisations

Abstract

In many countries agriculture is in a process of rapid change, - it has to meet a growing demand for food in a sustainable way, - the international competition is increasing, - the increase in labour productivity is decreasing the employment opportunities in agriculture, - agricultural research is offering many new opportunities to increase productivity, - government price support for agricultural products in industrial countries is decreasing. These changes have many implications for agricultural extension, such as: - the knowledge and capabilities of farmers has become a major factor in their ability to compete in national and international markets, - advice is not only needed on the adoption of new technologies, but also on many other decisions farmers have to make, such as the choice of their farming system and the decision whether or not to earn an income from outside agriculture, - this requires a change in extension methods and in the information sources extension agents use, - agricultural development demands painful changes in the way of farming and of living for many farm families. It is a challenge for extension agencies to help farm families to realise this, - a major task for leaders of extension organisations is to manage a process of change in agricultural extension. Often the role extension has to play in agricultural development can not be performed by one extension organisation, but only by a pluralistic extension system. Agricultural extension is often expected to contribute to a reduction of poverty among farmers and farm labourers. One has to think seriously how one can realise this objective.