Agricutural extension - Research Paper Example

? Agricultural Extension Agricultural extension refers to the acts of impacting critical agronomic techniques and skills to the rural farmers in a participatory manner, with a goal of improving the overall performance of farmers (White, 2012). The process of agricultural extension generally involves conveying of essential and practical information to the farmers. The data usually includes ways of using improved seeds, pesticides and fertilizer. Agricultural extension education started in the early 1800. Immediately after American Revolution, many agricultural societies began to operate. One of the main societies was formed by John Skinner, who encouraged American farmers to start reporting on their successes and methods they used to solve various problems they encountered in their daily farming activities. This served as a platform for many American farmers. They exchanged ideas on how to enhance their farming skills using the platform (White, 2012). In the early 1910, USA agricultural sector in collaboration with agricultural colleges started to provide agricultural extension services to the rural farmers. With the use of the free extension services, farmers were able to increase wheat production in the country by nearly 40 % (White, 2012). This helped America to contain the food shortage problem that came as a result of the world war one and two. During the famous severe depression, agricultural extension services, mainly concentrated on improving the farm management skills of individual farmers. They engaged in a programme of teaching farmers how to sell their products at favorable prices. They also offered women basic skills on how to ensure they obtain proper nutrition for each household (White, 2012). They offered free services to women on how to improve their home poultry production, house gardening and also carrying out food canning to avoid wastages Incase of surplus production. Traditional agricultural extension services concentrated more on improving production at the household level as opposed to the present extensions. The extension mainly dealt with production and marketing of agricultural products. With new rules and policy changes, extension education for the next twenty five years will be so much different with what was offered in the past. Instead of focusing on rural farmers only, the agricultural education extension will deal with more broad issues affecting peoples life’s both in urban and rural areas (Rice, 2012). With economic and environmental dynamics, the extension education will dwell on how to help individuals learn new methods of obtaining income through encouraging them to adopt auxiliary enterprises. The extension will focus on helping farmers to improve their marketing strategies, management skills and also efficiency (Rice, 2012). This will ensure that farmers are able to deliver effectively. The new extension services will also deal with training farmers on how to take care of health, safety and consumer issues of the agricultural products. Customers are with age becoming more health alert. This calls for distribution of high quality and safe products. Farmers need to be taught how to produce safe agricultural products for their health safety and others. With this in mind, the new extension services will focus on teaching customers how to implement safe biofortification processes so as to ensure their products are safe for consumption (Rice, 2012). Critical issues Agricultural extension has continued to live in the process of change globally. With the support of international agencies, governments are struggling to avail both financial and structural reforms to ensure extension services are improved and accessible to the targeted farmers. With all this support from the government, the agricultural extension will be focusing on all the key issues affecting the daily health of the people of America and the nation future as a whole. It will intensively dwell on ways to; ensure healthy human population, public improvement and development of agricultural production and empowering the rural communities (Rice, 2012).It will also focus on how to empower and strengthen youth and the rural families in America. All these activities can be achieved through coordination between different agencies that concern in agricultural development and sustainability in different states. Addressing the challenges In the effort to develop healthy human nutrition, the agricultural extensions need to come up with extensive research on improving varieties of seeds to use (Keiffer, 2012). This will ensure that farmers access and use seeds of high quality leading to production of safe and nutritious products. In an attempt to empower rural farmers, the agricultural extension needs to come up with viable projects. They should fully incorporate the rural farmers in the management and control of these projects. This will ensure that farmers become committed to activities of these projects (Rivera & Cary,1997).The success of these projects will empower farmers economically, thus allowing them become independent. On the issue of improving the overall agricultural production, the agricultural extension needs to come up with effective ways and methods of farming. It has to explain to farmers the best methods of farming e.g. crop rotation and how to practice them (Keiffer, 2012). The extensions need to educate farmers on the crops that need to be rotated so as to prevent disease transfer from one enterprise to the other. Also, they need to come up with practical and straightforward methods of carrying out biofortification methods. This will ensure that rural farmers understand clearly how to handle biofortification processes thus allowing them increase productivity. Skills necessary To address the 21st century agricultural problems, the extensional officers require specific skills, to help them organize and manage successful groups. To achieve agricultural sustainability, we need not only researchers in the lab, but also people with skills of integrating the lab results in the farms (Rivera & Cary, 1997). The extension officers need to have excellent skills of approaching farmers and helping them to incorporate the new discoveries in their daily farming activities. This will lead to rise in production. Effective tools One of the most powerful tool to use to inform and influence people in the community is through project initiation and implementation. After identifying a project, involve the people of the area the project is located in running it. This will give them time to see what is supposed to be done at a given level of production (Keiffer, 2012).This practical participation of targeted farmers in actual production will thoroughly acquaint them with skills and knowledge of carrying various activities at different stages of production thus putting them in a better position to undertake those activities on their own at a later date. Secondly group seminars will succeed in educating people on agricultural production. This will be achieved by holding regular public meetings to educate farmers. The attendants will be able to spread the message to others who will not have attended the workshop (Keiffer, 2012).This will facilitate in the spread of knowledge on agricultural extension. My role as an agricultural extension agent: My main role is to deliver new information that concerns agricultural production and marketing to the farmers. Farmers being the implementers will need proper tips to help them adopt best methods of production, packaging and selling their products. There are various measures that are present on agricultural commodities marketing. These measures adversely affect the marketing of the agricultural products (Keiffer, 2012). It is my duty to inform the rural farmers on the changes of the rules to ensure they are aware of them as they commence in production. This will enable them avoid losses during the sale of their produce. References Keiffer, R. J. (2012). Rod Shippey Hall inspires attendees. Agriculture and natural resource. Retrieved from http://ucanr.edu/?blogpost=8757&blogasset=52096. Rice, P. K. (2012). Don’t move firewood and pests. Agriculture and natural resource. Retrieved from http://ucanr.edu/?blogpost=8599&blogasset=52101. Rivera, W. M., & Cary, J. W. (1997). Improving agricultural extension. A reference manual. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/docrep/W5830E/W5830E00.htm. White, J. L. (2012). Ranch land, critical conservation areas, at risk. Agriculture and natural resource. Retrieved from http://ucanr.edu/?blogpost=8593&blogasset=52101. Read More