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International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences

ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 7 Number 02 (2018)
Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com

Review Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2018.702.289

Agricultural Extension Approaches to Enhance the

Knowledge of Farmers

Kamalpreet Kaur* and Prabhjot Kaur

Department of Extension Education, Punjab Agricultural University,

Ludhiana 141004, Punjab, India

*Corresponding author

ABSTRACT

Public agricultural extension system is one of the largest knowledge and information
dissemination institution. In the last 15 years, agricultural production has stagnated and
this calls for a system based inter-disciplinary holistic approach not only to develop
Keywords ecologically sound technologies for different areas, but also to facilitate their utilization at
gross root level. Extension approach is like doctrine for the system, which informs,
Extension approach, stimulates and guides such aspects of the system as its structure, its leadership, its
Agricultural
technologies, program, its resources and its linkages. Various extension approaches completed
Partnership and successfully by giving satisfactory results in past to improve the farmers knowledge
NGO’s regarding newly developed agricultural technologies. Some of them are continuously
running in present along with newly developed extension approaches and requires little
Article Info
modifications in future to increase the agricultural potential of country. The use of
Accepted: innovative extension approaches to increase coverage is, therefore, a concern for all
20 January 2018 involved in agriculture extension and advisory services. Participatory, partnership of
Available Online: government and non-government organizations (NGO’s), farmer’s cooperative approaches
10 February 2018 are running successfully in present. In the future, the social media, agricultural education,
village panchayats, off-line initiation of ICT could be helpful for effective extension of
agricultural information to the grass-root level. Cost recovery approach and sharing
cropping approach should be followed at large level.

Introduction which different guiding principles are applied

in a specific situation to fulfill different
Approach is like a doctrine for the system, purposes. It consists of a series of procedures
which informs, stimulates and guides such for planning, organizing and managing the
aspects of the system as its structure, its extension institution as well as for
leadership, its program, its resources and its implementing practical extension work by
linkages. According to Axinn (1988), the staff with technical and methodological
approach is the style of action within system. qualification and using the necessary and
It’s like the drummer which sets the pace for appropriately adapted means. Various
all activity of the system. Hagmann et al., extension approaches completed successfully
(2000) explained an approach as a way in by giving satisfactory results in past to

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improve the farmers knowledge regarding Agri-business firms

newly developed agricultural technologies.
Some of them are continuously running in Agro-input companies dealing with seeds,
present along with newly developed extension fertilizers, pesticides and agro-machinery
approaches and requires little modifications in perform extension as one of their function for
future to increase the agricultural potential of marketing.
country. In the present time the extension is
done mainly by Public sector, Private sector The inputs agencies are undertaking
and Public private partnership. promotional activities through advertisement,
organizing demonstration farmers meeting and
Public extension seminars (Sulaiman and Vandenban, 2003).

State development departments Contract farming

ICAR, State agricultural universities
Other cooperative agencies Contract farming involves a forward contract
according to which growers are committed to
Private extension provide an agricultural commodity of a certain
type at a certain time and price in a specified
Privatization is the act of reducing the role of quantity to a known buyer, an agribusiness
government on increasing the role of private company (Singh, 2002).
sector in an activity or in the ownership of
assets. Bloome (1993) reported that private A number of agro-processing and trading
extension involves personnel in the private firms makes contract with the farmers to
sector that delivers advisory services in the produce specific commodity and these firms
area of agriculture and is seen as an alternative after provide extension services as part of
to public extension. Whereas, Vandenban and contract farming arrangement providing
Hawkins (1996) observed that farmers are extension services helps in procuring adequate
expected to share the responsibility for their quantity with specified quality and type of
services and pay all or part of the cost. In produce or processing or trading in high value
private extension, clientele are expected to pay market.
for the service fee (e.g. Private Agricultural
consultancies), or extension services provided To support growers in producing the specified
for product promotion (e.g. Agri-business commodities, companies can provide credit,
firms-seed companies), or for the procurement inputs, and extension services such as new
of farm produce (e.g. contract farming or free technologies (Asokan and Singh, 2003).
of cost extension (e.g. NGOs).
In Punjab, Pepsico first started contract
Private agricultural consultancies farming for tomatoes in the early 1990s and
now contracts farmers for potatoes and
Agricultural consultants or advisers offer chillies. Pepsi’s own research and
advice, support and solutions to their clients to development activities helped develop and
ensure their business or enterprise is running disseminate new technologies, including
as efficiently and effectively as possible. Their agricultural practices such as deep chiseling
clients may be farmers, landowners, other and new seed varieties, through Pepsi field
agricultural businesses in manufacturing and officers, field demonstrations, and booklets
services (Singh et al., 2006). (Singh, 2002).

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Non-Government Organizations extension services activities and therefore it is

fair that they pay the costs.
It is any non-profit, voluntary citizen’s group
which is neither a part of a government nor a Agriclinics and Agribusiness Centres
conventional for-profit business. NGOs may (ACABC)
be funded by government, foundations,
businesses or private persons. Agriclinics and agribusiness centers (ACABC)
provide agricultural advisory services to
Estimates of the number of NGOs active in farmers through technically trained
rural development in India range from fewer agricultural graduates at the village level.
than 10,000 to several hundred thousand Bank loans are available for the agripreneurs
depending on the type of classification used. to start an agriclinic. The central government
Some 15,000-20,000 are actively engaged in provides 25 percent of the cost as a subsidy.
rural development. India has a number of MANAGE is also very active in this. In
NGOs with varying levels of capacity, addition, the states have adopted the approach
implementing a wide range of programmes. add their own additional subsidies for
Wide variation in density of NGOs exists agriclinic implementation. The objectives of
among states. NGOs receive funding from the the program are to supplement the public
Government and corporate bodies as well as extension system, increase the availability of
international donors. Due to their effectiveness inputs and services for farmers, and provide
and flexible operational mechanisms, employment to agriculture graduates
governments are increasingly finding (Anonymous, 2008). Discussion with officials
partnering with NGOs attractive. Bharatiya in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and
Agro-Industries Federation (BAIF) is an Rajasthan cleared that increased productivity
important NGO working very actively. BAIF of crops in areas where agriclinics are
works on livestock development, water available. According to the farmers, benefits
resource management, environmental obtained from agriclinics included optimum
conservation and livelihood development usage of farm inputs, plant protection, and
(Ferroni and Zhou, 2011). increased productivity. Across the country,
Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of
Public-Private Partnership agriclinics and agribusinesses.

Public-Private Partnership (PPP) describes a Cost-sharing approach

government service or private business
venture which is funded and operated through This approach assumes that cost-sharing with
a partnership of government and one or more local people (who do not have the means to
private sector companies (Agarwal, 2011). pay the full cost) will promote a programme
Reasons for this change include the following: that is more likely to meet local situations and
Budget deficits make it difficult for the where extension agents are more accountable
government to pay for such a service. to local interests. Its purpose is to provide
advice and information to facilitate farmer’s
It is hoped that by making extension agents self-improvement. This approach is based on
accountable to farmers who are competent to local people sharing part of the cost of the
judge the quality of their work, this in turn extension program. Its purpose is to provide
will make the extension service more efficient. advice and information to facilitate farmers’
Farmers are the main beneficiaries from self-improvement. Problems may arise if local

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farmers are pressured into investing in international agencies. The first FFS was
unproven enterprises (Feder et al., 2001). designed and managed by the UN Food and
Agriculture Organisation in Indonesia in 1989
Farmer based extension since then more than two million farmers
across Asia have participated in this type of
Farmer interest group learning. FFS consists of 20-25 farmers who
meet one morning every week for an entire
A Farmer Interest Group (FIG) is a self- crop growing season.
managed, independent group of farmers with a
shared goal and interest. The members work A FFS is facilitated by extension workers on
together to achieve this goal by pooling their skilled farmers. Employing non-formal
existing resources, gaining better access to education method, the field is used as the
other resources and to share in the resulting primary resource for learning (Vandenberg
benefits. The joint action in financial activities and Jiggins, 2007). Farmer field schools (FFS)
like saving and interloaning can become are a participatory method of learning.
model for future FIGs to help the resource
poor farmers come out of debt-trap through Farmer to Farmer Communication
mutual help. Regular meeting of group approach
members is mandatory requirement to ensure
smooth functioning of FIGs. Effective Farmers show great interest on their fellow
participation of members in meeting leading to farmers. When one farmer share his
consensus on various issues/problems, faced progressive views with others, than it could
by of the group, is an important indicator of work very effectively than any other method
group health (Riar, 2006). of technology sharing. The Adike Pathrike, a
farm monthly started by all India growers
Successful groups associations to encourage farmer to farmer
communication was one of the success story
Bee keeping farmers interest group, village of farmer to farmer communication (self-help
Dida, Block Dinanagar, Distt. Gurdaspur. journalism) for more than 15 years of
existence in agricultural knowledge
Dairy farmers interest group, Village dissemination. The uniqueness of publication
Nandanpur, Block Jalandhar West, Distt. is that starting from writing articles, editing,
Jalandhar. publishing and distribution are mainly
shouldered by practicing farmers.
Malwa Gramin Honey producer farmer
interest group, village Kaulseri, Block Dhuri, Farmer Friend approach
Distt. Sangrur
As a grass root part of ATMA the farmer
Malwa fruit and vegetable growers farmer Friend (FF) serves as a vital link between
interest group, Block Kotkapura, Distt. extension system and farmers at village level.
Faridkot. FF will be available in the village to advice on
agriculture and allied activities. The FF
Farmer Field School facilitates dissemination of information to
farmers, individual farmers and farm women
It is a group-based learning process that has directly through one to one interaction
been used by a number of govt., NGOs, and individually or in groups.

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Group approach Mass media approach

The group approach programme The all India Radio and Doordarshan transmit
encompassing several aspects of self- program on agriculture. DD Kisan channel is
employment such as organisation of the poor an Indian agricultural 24-hours television
into self-help groups, training, credit, channel, was launched on 16th May 2015. The
technology, infrastructure and marketing was channel has been dedicated to agriculture and
evolved (Najamuddin and Guliani, 2006). allied sectors, which disseminates real-time
inputs to farmers on new farming techniques,
Self-help group is a homogenous group of water conservation and organic farming
rural people who voluntarily come together to among other information (Anonymous, 2015).
form a group or association for their income In print media Newspapers are also covering
generation and empowerment for achieving a agriculture news items. Almost all dailies
common objective. SHGs are small in size presently devote one page once in a week
with membership ranging from 10-25 (Mondal covering aspects of agriculture. Newspapers
and Ray, 2009). One important example is are published in local languages are the close
"All Women's Dairy Co-operative of Majowal friends of farmers to familiar them about new
Majara village in Nawanshahr district in technology.
Punjab. Milk producers were mainly rural
women who lack scientific know-how. Market-led extension approach

Other valuable approaches It is an approach through which extension

system reached to the clientele on an end
Farming systems approach basis, beginning from package of practices for
production to selling of produce at the
The farming systems approach considers the consumer's door so that the farmers can get
farm, farm household and off-farm activities remunerative prices for their produces.
in a holistic way to take care of not only
farming but all aspects of nutrition, food Farmers are sensitized on the production
security, sustainability, risk minimization, aspects like (i) what to produce (ii) when to
income and employment generation, which produce (iii) how much to produce (iv) when
make up the multiple objectives of farm and where to sell. Besides this, farmers are
households. This approach considers also sensitized on consumer preference,
interdependencies of the components under market intelligence, processing and value
the control of members of the household, as addition and market information system. The
well as how these components interact with market-led extension deals with all these
the physical, biological and socio-economic parameters from production to marketing of
factors not under the household's control. agricultural produce (Swanson, 2008).

The farming systems approach emphasizes Important market-led extension services in

that research and extension agendas should be India
determined by explicitly defined farmers'
needs through an understanding of existing Dynamic Market Information (DMI)
farming systems rather than the perceptions by
research scientists or extension functionaries Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
(Meena et al., 2013). implemented a pioneer project called Dynamic

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Market Information (DMI) which aims at Control is at the central government level and
providing daily market prices for 160 selected there are often considerable financial and
perishable commodities in Tamil Nadu, Kerala technical inputs from an international
and Karnataka. DMI provides market price development agency. Short-term change is the
information via SMS through mobile phones. measure of success. In the aquaculture project
in Nepal, for example, a loan from the Asian
Participatory approach Development Bank was used by the Ministry
of Agriculture to support extension work by
Participation means that the poor people fisheries officers in many different locations
themselves are involved in identifying the throughout the country. They were able to
problems they face, determining ways to introduce pond fisheries through an effort
overcome them, designing realistic plans to which combined the project approach with the
achieve these goals, and carrying them out. specialized commodity approach. One
Solutions devised and fulfilled by the people problem with this approach, however, is that a
in need are far more likely to prove successful flow of ideas outside the project rarely occurs
than those imposed from outside. Participatory (Axinn, 1988).
extension provides a framework for extension
staff to participate with village communities in Cyber extension approach
facilitating development planning and activity
implementation. Cyber extension is defined as extension over
cyber space, the imaginary space behind the
This approach ensures the extension response interconnected telecommunication and
become community driven and assist village computer networks (Mishra, 1999). Cyber
communities implement their planned extension approach includes effective use of
activities with routine monitoring and Information Communication Technology
evaluation of activities. Importantly, as the (ICT), internet, expert systems, information
name implies, the extension process is seeking kiosks and computer based training systems to
maximum participation from women and men improve information access to the farmers,
from all groups within the target village extension workers, research scientists and
community. The aim of the approach is extension managers.
bringing about change in people's attitude
which is critical on the part of the people Suggestions to make the extension work
involved towards their environment and more effective
adoption of interventions for agricultural
development (Suzler, 1989) Redefining the role of public extension

Project approach There is an urgent need to redefine the role of

public extension system because private
This approach concentrates efforts on a extension providers such as: consultancies,
particular location, for a specific time period, agri-business and processing firms are
often with outside resources. Part of its increasingly concentrating on selected
purpose is often to demonstrate techniques and geographical area, crops and clientele. Hence
methods that could be extended and sustained public extension need to concentrate on
after the project period. It uses large infusions resource poor farmers, food security issues,
of outside resources for a few years to environmental extension and monitoring and
demonstrate the potential of new technologies. regulatory roles of extension services.

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Suggested Extension Model

SOCIAL MEDIA

Farm
families
AGRI.
VILLAGE EDUCATION
PANCHYAT Input Agri.
provider labourer

CYBER/ICT

(By author)

For example Kaur, (2005) found that not possible there should be off-line access at
composition of farmer advisory committee village level.
(FAC) under ATMA was not strictly as per
prescribed norms. Regarding conduct of Beyond technology transfer role, broad
meetings, as per norms there should be 60 based extension
meetings but in actual only 50 meetings were
held and attendance in these meetings were Apart from farm information and technology
found to be 62 per cent. dissemination, extension providers should
concentrate on wider role including input
Diploma in Agricultural Extension Services supply, market intervention, and linking
for Input Dealers (DAESI) farmers for farm credit.

Programme may be up scaled to entire Encouraging Multi Agency Extension

country so that the services of input dealers Strategy
can be utilized as Para extension workers at
village level (Mehta, 2011). Involving public/private extension service
providers. E.g. ATMA made good access but
Awards proper spirit is lacked.

May be instituted at different levels in So there is a need to boost motivation dose for
recognition of services/achievement of the various departments to work in flexible
farmers and extension service providers from mode according to the work plan of ATMA.
different localities.
Addressing gender concerns
Scaling-up of ICT initiatives
Mobilizing farm women into groups. In all
Appropriate ICT models for agricultural the training programme at all levels, women
extension need to be replicated and participation must be ensured.
extensively used for farm information
dissemination. Like e-Chaupal at the Specialized training for women trainers,
Panchayat level. Where the on-line access is women farmers have to be organized.

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Introducing cost recovery approach which will motivate the fellow farmers to
adopt that new technique. Every farmer in our
In the present time the farmers are willing to villages is not educated so gram panchayat
pay for better services, hence cost-recovery could share with villagers.
approach should be introduced at large level
to ensure the financial sustainability of Agricultural education
extension system and also increase the
commitment of farmers. We all know the status of agricultural subject
as an additional subject in the school
Share cropping system curriculum. The teacher appointed for this
subject is generally not belonged to the
The extension worker provides advisory and agricultural graduation. Then how we could
inputs. Farmer uses his land and labour. expect the clearance of basic ideas of this
Extension worker share the crop with farmer field in mind of students at school level.
for a profit. Hired labour and other costs are There is a need to rethink and planned for
shared. The extension workers using his link proper qualification for agricultural teacher in
easily obtain farm inputs from input dealers school level. The other point is agriculture
even for credit until the harvest. Share subject should be as compulsory subject
cropped field serves as a demonstration plot. rather than additional/choice subject at school
Since, extension worker has a personal stake, level.
it motivates him to put maximum effort.
Extension worker can also enter into Village panchayats
agreement with as many farmers as he can,
depending on his financial position and time The village panchayats have effective control
(Prabhakar, 2010). on the village environment. There should be
proper linkages of extension agencies and
Suggested Model village panchayats. Although we are using
progressive farmers at grass-root level but
Farm family, agricultural laborer and input village panchayats have more effective
supplier are the heart of this model. Ultimate strength to influence the farmers. It could be
aim of the extension approaches to more effective by deciding the grants and the
disseminate the new technologies to the funds to the village panchayats according to
farmers and to convince them to adopt these the level of agricultural progressiveness at the
ideas for their better development. For this the village.
important component of this model are as
follows: Cyber extension/ICTs

Social media It should be available off-line in the villages

because the every time on-line access in
With the popularization of new technologies village area is not possible. So, it is suggested
and ICTs it is felt that there is a good scope to introduce Kiosks at every village with full
for disseminating the information by various information in off-line mode.
social apps like whatsup, face book, hikes etc.
Farmers could make groups on social apps Today extension is passing through a major
and could share their farm’s status, newly transformation for various domestic and
followed technique at their farm with friend global reasons. The present systems of

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extension in India are the outcome of several smallholders and improving their
efforts and reforms made over the years for livelihoods. Economic and political
improving rural life of the country. Various Weekly 46: 52-55.
reforms and developments witnessed in the Feder, G., Willett, A., and Zijp, W. 2001.
extension system with great efforts from Agricultural extension-generic
government and increasing involvement of challenges and some ingredients for
private sector and NGOs in providing solutions. Pp 313-62. Kluwer Academic
extension services. To secure a better future, Publishers, Massachusetts.
the public extension system needs change for Ferroni, M., and Zhou, Y. 2011. Review of
better services by structural reforms and Agricultural Extension in India.
improving function through transferring the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable
ownership to and sharing responsibility of its Agriculture. Retrieved from
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developing any system, the farmer should be 2015.
kept in focus as player, generator and user of Hagmann, J., Edward, C., and Oliver, G.
the knowledge. Cost recovery approach and 2000. Learning about
sharing cropping approach should be followed stakeholder/gender differentiation in
at large level. The social media, agricultural agricultural research and extension.
education, village panchayats, off-line IFPRI Discussion Paper No. 00141 at
initiation of ICT should be helpful for Washington, D. C.
effective extension. Kaur, S. 2005. An assessment of
organizational functioning of
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How to cite this article:

Kamalpreet Kaur and Prabhjot Kaur. 2018. Agricultural Extension Approaches to Enhance the
Knowledge of Farmers. Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci. 7(02): 2367-2376.
doi: https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2018.702.289

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