Diffi culties faced by the extension agents
The purpose of the study was to determine the extent
of constraints faced by the extension agents in the
practical implementation of the existing extension approaches
namely T&V and Selected Concentrative
Strategy. The author conducted structured interviews
with 60 extension agents from January to April 2001.
They identifi ed the following important diffi culties:
1. Non-involvement of local people in program
planning:
According to all of the respondents, the most important
constraint for extension agents in their
fi eldwork is the non-involvement of local people
in program planning. As the organisation of extension
division follows the national administrative
system, extension workers have to perform according
to the plan of MOAI and farmers have
no chance to participate in program planning and
decision making process. Therefore, local people
are not involved actively in the implementation
of new extension programs. For example, some
areas are not suitable for rice, but according to the
ministry, farmers in these areas have to grow rice
and farmers lose a lot of money. Consequently the
farmers don’t trust the extension agents.
2. Lack of incentives for extension staff:
All of the respondents expressed that the lack of
incentives for extension staff is the second most
important constraint to perform extension work.
3. Farmers are very poor:
This is the third most important constraint for extension
agents to perform their extension work. It is
evident that even the farmers which are interested
to practice new methods or technologies have no
money for investments and once again extension
is facing its limits.
4. Lack of suitable markets and favourable prices
for farm products:
According to the planning of the ministry, extension
agents have to organise the farmers to grow
rice three times per year, but there is no market
for their products and they have no right to export
rice.
5. Farmers have no crop insuranceinsurance:
It is evident that due to the successive growing
of high yielding rice varieties, the soil fertility
and subsequently the crop production is declining.
Therefore the extension agents have no more
strength to advice the farmers to grow HYV
(High Yielding Varieties) rice. A vast majority of the
extension agents mentioned that the lack of a suitable
market, lack of crop price insurance and lack
of crop damage insurance for the farmers were also
major constraints for extension agents to perform
their fi eldwork.
6. Inadequate extension staff:
The numbers of extension staff, who work in the
AED, are not suffi cient for the large number of
farmers and the cultivated area. This is partly
due the unattractive work conditions and they
shift, whenever possible, to other departments.
At present, extension agents cannot perform their
fi eldwork effectively and effi ciently.
7. Transportation facilities for extension staff are
very poor:
The poor transportation facilities for the extension
staff is also a major constraint to perform the
extension activities. If there were good transportation
facilities for the extension agents, they could
reach in time to farmers’ site, and distribute and
advice new and modern information, practices and
technologies to farmers as well as they could bring
farmers’ problems to the respective research centre
and find the solution in time.
Diffi culties faced by the extension agents
The purpose of the study was to determine the extent
of constraints faced by the extension agents in the
practical implementation of the existing extension approaches
namely T&V and Selected Concentrative
Strategy. The author conducted structured interviews
with 60 extension agents from January to April 2001.
They identifi ed the following important diffi culties:
1. Non-involvement of local people in program
planning:
According to all of the respondents, the most important
constraint for extension agents in their
fi eldwork is the non-involvement of local people
in program planning. As the organisation of extension
division follows the national administrative
system, extension workers have to perform according
to the plan of MOAI and farmers have
no chance to participate in program planning and
decision making process. Therefore, local people
are not involved actively in the implementation
of new extension programs. For example, some
areas are not suitable for rice, but according to the
ministry, farmers in these areas have to grow rice
and farmers lose a lot of money. Consequently the
farmers don’t trust the extension agents.
2. Lack of incentives for extension staff:
All of the respondents expressed that the lack of
incentives for extension staff is the second most
important constraint to perform extension work.
3. Farmers are very poor:
This is the third most important constraint for extension
agents to perform their extension work. It is
evident that even the farmers which are interested
to practice new methods or technologies have no
money for investments and once again extension
is facing its limits.
4. Lack of suitable markets and favourable prices
for farm products:
According to the planning of the ministry, extension
agents have to organise the farmers to grow
rice three times per year, but there is no market
for their products and they have no right to export
rice.
5. Farmers have no crop insuranceinsurance:
It is evident that due to the successive growing
of high yielding rice varieties, the soil fertility
and subsequently the crop production is declining.
Therefore the extension agents have no more
strength to advice the farmers to grow HYV
(High Yielding Varieties) rice. A vast majority of the
extension agents mentioned that the lack of a suitable
market, lack of crop price insurance and lack
of crop damage insurance for the farmers were also
major constraints for extension agents to perform
their fi eldwork.
6. Inadequate extension staff:
The numbers of extension staff, who work in the
AED, are not suffi cient for the large number of
farmers and the cultivated area. This is partly
due the unattractive work conditions and they
shift, whenever possible, to other departments.
At present, extension agents cannot perform their
fi eldwork effectively and effi ciently.
7. Transportation facilities for extension staff are
very poor:
The poor transportation facilities for the extension
staff is also a major constraint to perform the
extension activities. If there were good transportation
facilities for the extension agents, they could
reach in time to farmers’ site, and distribute and
advice new and modern information, practices and
technologies to farmers as well as they could bring
farmers’ problems to the respective research centre
and find the solution in time.
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
