Village Agriculture, Horticulture and Sericulture Assistant · Chapter 5

Agricultural Extension Methods

What to remember

Extension is an informal, out-of-school education that carries new farm knowledge from research to the farmer and carries the farmer's problems back to research.
Methods are grouped by contact: individual (one farmer), group (many farmers together) and mass (very large audience). Individual methods change behaviour most; mass methods reach the most people.
Learning follows steps: awareness, interest, evaluation, trial, adoption. A good worker uses a mix of methods at each step.

Meaning, aims and principles

Agricultural extension means helping farmers to learn better ways of farming and to solve their own problems. It is not a one-way order. It is "education for action". The word "extension" came from university extension work in England in the 19th century and was used for farm education in the USA through the Land Grant colleges.

Main aims:

Increase production and income of the farm family.
Bring research results from the laboratory to the field (lab to land).
Develop leadership and a spirit of self-help among rural people.
Bring field problems to scientists (feedback).

Basic principles of extension work:

Start from the needs and interests of farmers.
Involve farmers in planning and doing (learning by doing).
Use the local culture, language and resources.
Use local leaders and groups.
Use demonstrations: "seeing is believing".
Keep the message simple, correct and timely.
Evaluate the work and improve it.

Steps in the adoption process

Adoption is a mental process that goes from first hearing of an idea to its regular use. The commonly taught stages are:

Stage	What happens	Best method
Awareness	Farmer first hears of the new practice	Radio, TV, posters, mobile messages
Interest	Farmer seeks more facts	Meetings, leaflets, group talks
Evaluation	Farmer weighs it against his own conditions	Farm visits, talk with extension worker
Trial	Farmer tries it on a small area	Demonstration, input supply
Adoption	Farmer uses it fully and regularly	Follow-up visits, credit, markets

Adopter categories (Rogers): innovators (about 2.5 percent), early adopters (13.5 percent), early majority (34 percent), late majority (34 percent) and laggards (16 percent). Early adopters are usually opinion leaders and are very useful to the extension worker.

Classification of extension methods

1. Individual contact methods. The extension worker meets one farmer at a time.

Farm and home visit: the most effective way to build trust and see the real problem.
Office call: the farmer comes to the office or the Rythu Bharosa Kendram (RBK) for advice.
Personal letter, phone call and mobile message.
Result demonstration on a farmer's own field (also treated as a group method when others watch).

Merits: personal, flexible, builds confidence. Limits: costly in time, covers few farmers.

2. Group contact methods. Several farmers meet together.

Method demonstration: shows how to do a skill (seed treatment, nursery raising, using a sprayer). It is steps-wise and usually short.
Result demonstration: shows the result of a new practice compared with the old one, over a full crop season, on a farmer's field.
Group discussion and meetings, farmers' training, field day, study tour (exposure visit), farmers' club, Farmer Field School (FFS), workshops, seminars and Kisan Mela (farmers' fair).

3. Mass contact methods. A very large and scattered audience is reached at once.

Print: newspaper, farm magazine, leaflet, folder, pamphlet, bulletin, poster, wall paintings.
Electronic: radio, television, films, video, mobile app, SMS, voice message, WhatsApp groups, Kisan Call Centre.
Exhibition and campaigns, which are partly mass and partly group methods.

Merits: fast and cheap per person. Limits: one-way and not personal, so little change in behaviour alone.

Demonstrations in detail

Point	Method demonstration	Result demonstration
Purpose	Teach a skill	Prove value of a practice
Time	Short (one sitting)	Long (full season or more)
Place	Any convenient place	Farmer's own field
Question answered	"How to do it?"	"Is it better?"
Example	Seed treatment with fungicide	New variety versus local variety

Steps in planning a result demonstration: select a suitable village and a cooperative farmer, decide the practice, sign a simple agreement, supply inputs, put up a board (sign) at the plot, visit often, hold a field day before harvest, record and report results.

Special demonstration types: Front Line Demonstration (FLD) of new technology by research bodies, and cluster demonstration, where one practice is shown on many plots in a village.

Extension organisations and programmes in India and AP

Community Development Programme (1952) and National Extension Service (1953) started village-level extension.
Intensive Agricultural District Programme (IADP, 1960s) and High Yielding Varieties Programme brought package approach.
Training and Visit (T and V) system, introduced with World Bank help, used a fortnightly training cycle for extension staff and regular visits to contact farmers.
Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK): district-level farm science centre for training and on-farm testing, started in 1974 and funded by ICAR.
Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA): district-level body that links research, extension, farmers and others for a farmer-driven approach.
Kisan Call Centre: toll free number 1800-180-1551 for farmer queries.
Rythu Bharosa Kendrams (RBKs): village-level service centres in AP supplying inputs, advice and information, with village agriculture, horticulture and sericulture assistants as the first contact.
Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU), Guntur, is the state farm university; research stations and Agricultural Research and extension centres support the field staff. Check the current name of the university before writing an answer.
Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and self-help groups are used as group channels for advice and marketing.

Teaching and learning aids

Aids make a message clear and lasting. Examples: charts, flash cards, flannelgraph, models, specimens, film strips, slides and video.

A flannelgraph uses cut-outs that stick on a flannel-covered board.
Specimens and models give real objects for a farmer to see and touch.
Good aid: simple, large, visible, local in style and used at the right time.
Dale's Cone of Experience puts direct, purposeful experience at the base: people remember most of what they do and least of what they only read or hear.

Communication in extension

Basic elements of communication: source (sender), message, channel and receiver, plus feedback. Berlo's model is written as SMCR (Source, Message, Channel, Receiver). Noise is anything that disturbs the message. Feedback shows whether the receiver understood. Two-way communication is more effective than one-way.

Qualities of a good message: simple, clear, correct, timely, useful and in the local language.

Choosing the right method

For skill: method demonstration.
For proof of benefit: result demonstration.
For wide awareness: radio, TV, mobile messages.
For personal problem: farm visit.
For sharing experience: exposure visit or field day.

Use a combination of methods. The more senses used (see, hear, do), the better the learning.

The village extension worker

The village-level worker is the first contact between science and the farmer. Useful qualities: knowledge of crops and local conditions, good speech in the local language, patience, honesty, willingness to walk to the field and the habit of keeping records. Records kept include a village diary, a farmer list, demonstration records and a crop calendar. The worker should visit regularly, listen first, advise next, and report problems that need research help. Trust grows when advice works, so the worker should promise only what the technology can deliver.

Exam traps

Method demonstration shows "how"; result demonstration shows "what result". Do not swap them.
Mass methods create awareness; individual methods help adoption.
Farm visit is individual, field day is group, radio is mass.
KVK is a district-level body of ICAR; ATMA works at district level through state agriculture department. Do not mix them.
Kisan Call Centre number is 1800-180-1551 (toll free), not a paid line.
Evaluation stage is the farmer's mental judgement, not the end of a project.
Early adopters are opinion leaders; innovators are the venturesome ones (first 2.5 percent).
Farmer Field School is a group method with season-long learning in the field.

One-liners

Extension means "to stretch out" knowledge to people.
Adoption steps: awareness, interest, evaluation, trial, adoption.
Result demonstration lasts a season and is held on a farmer's field.
Method demonstration teaches a skill in one sitting.
The most effective single method is the farm and home visit.
Radio, TV, newspaper and mobile messages are mass methods.
KVK was first set up in 1974 under ICAR.
Berlo's model: SMCR.
Innovators are about 2.5 percent of adopters.
Field day is held to show results to neighbouring farmers.
RBKs are village-level service centres for farmers in Andhra Pradesh.
Dale's Cone puts direct experience at the base.

Practice questions

Agricultural extension is best described as
1. a formal degree course for farmers
2. an informal education that takes new farm knowledge to farmers
3. a system of giving subsidies only
4. a method of fixing crop prices
Answer
B. an informal education that takes new farm knowledge to farmers
Extension is out-of-school education for action.
Which method of contact is the most effective for building trust with one farmer?
1. Radio talk
2. Exhibition
3. Farm and home visit
4. Newspaper article
Answer
C. Farm and home visit
Farm visit is personal and sees the real problem.
A demonstration meant to teach HOW to do a skill, such as seed treatment, is called a
1. method demonstration
2. result demonstration
3. study tour
4. field day
Answer
A. method demonstration
Method demonstration shows the steps of a skill.
A result demonstration is usually conducted
1. in a classroom in one hour
2. only on a research farm
3. on a farmer's own field over a full season
4. through a radio programme
Answer
C. on a farmer's own field over a full season
It compares a new practice with the old one under local conditions.
Which of the following is a mass contact method?
1. Office call
2. Farm visit
3. Personal letter
4. Television programme
Answer
D. Television programme
TV reaches a large scattered audience at once.
The correct order of stages in the adoption process is
1. trial, awareness, interest, adoption, evaluation
2. interest, awareness, trial, evaluation, adoption
3. awareness, trial, interest, evaluation, adoption
4. awareness, interest, evaluation, trial, adoption
Answer
D. awareness, interest, evaluation, trial, adoption
Farmers first learn, then weigh, then try, then adopt.
Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) is a district-level centre mainly for
1. training and on-farm testing of technology
2. insurance of crops
3. marketing of grain
4. supply of bank loans
Answer
A. training and on-farm testing of technology
KVKs, funded by ICAR, do training, on-farm trials and front line demonstrations.
The toll free Kisan Call Centre number is
1. 1912
2. 1800-180-1551
3. 108
4. 1800-100-1000
Answer
B. 1800-180-1551
Kisan Call Centre gives free advice to farmers on 1800-180-1551.
In Berlo's model of communication, SMCR stands for
1. Speaker, Message, Channel, Result
2. Source, Message, Channel, Receiver
3. Source, Medium, Code, Reply
4. Sender, Method, Content, Response
Answer
B. Source, Message, Channel, Receiver
SMCR are the four elements of the model.
Innovators make up about what share of all adopters in Rogers' classification?
1. 13.5 percent
2. 34 percent
3. 2.5 percent
4. 16 percent
Answer
C. 2.5 percent
Innovators 2.5, early adopters 13.5, early majority 34, late majority 34, laggards 16.
Which group of adopters is generally made up of opinion leaders?
1. Early adopters
2. Non-adopters
3. Laggards
4. Late majority
Answer
A. Early adopters
Early adopters are respected local leaders whom others follow.
Which pair correctly matches method and category?
1. Farm visit - mass method
2. Personal letter - group method
3. Radio - individual method
4. Field day - group method
Answer
D. Field day - group method
A field day gathers many farmers; the others are mismatched.
Which stage of adoption is best helped by a small trial plot with supply of inputs?
1. Trial
2. Awareness
3. Evaluation
4. Interest
Answer
A. Trial
The farmer tests the practice on a small area before full use.
A farmer hears about a new variety on the radio but does not know more. He is at the stage of
1. trial
2. adoption
3. evaluation
4. awareness
Answer
D. awareness
First knowledge of an idea is awareness.
Which of the following is NOT a group contact method?
1. Group discussion
2. Farmers' training
3. Mobile voice message
4. Field day
Answer
C. Mobile voice message
A mobile voice message is a mass method.
The Farmer Field School (FFS) is best described as
1. a radio programme
2. a season-long group learning in the farmers' field
3. a one-day exhibition
4. a bank scheme
Answer
B. a season-long group learning in the farmers' field
FFS follows the crop through its stages with hands-on learning.
Consider the statements. 1. Method demonstration answers the question 'how to do it'. 2. Result demonstration lasts only a few minutes. Which is/are correct?
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
A. 1 only
Result demonstration runs over a season or more.
Consider the statements. 1. Mass methods give personal two-way contact. 2. Mass methods create wide awareness. Which is/are correct?
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
B. 2 only
Mass methods are mostly one-way and impersonal.
Consider the statements. 1. A field day is an individual contact method. 2. A field day is held to show results to farmers. Which is/are correct?
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
B. 2 only
Field day is a group method.
Consider the statements. 1. Feedback shows whether the message was understood. 2. Noise helps the message reach the receiver. Which is/are correct?
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
A. 1 only
Noise is anything that disturbs communication.
Consider the statements. 1. KVK was first started in 1974. 2. KVK works only on selling fertiliser. Which is/are correct?
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
A. 1 only
KVKs focus on training and on-farm testing, not fertiliser sales.
Match the pair: Flannelgraph is
1. a farm magazine
2. a type of seed drill
3. a board with cut-outs that stick to flannel
4. a radio programme
Answer
C. a board with cut-outs that stick to flannel
It is a teaching aid using flannel-backed cut-outs.
Match: 'Seeing is believing' is the principle behind
1. letters
2. newspapers
3. bulletins
4. demonstrations
Answer
D. demonstrations
Farmers believe what they see in their own conditions.
Which of the following is a teaching aid that gives real objects to touch and see?
1. Newspaper
2. Telephone
3. Specimen
4. Radio
Answer
C. Specimen
Specimens and models are real or scaled objects.
Which is the first step in planning a result demonstration?
1. Writing the final report
2. Holding the field day
3. Harvesting the crop
4. Selecting a suitable village and a cooperative farmer
Answer
D. Selecting a suitable village and a cooperative farmer
Planning starts with the site and the farmer.
A farmer attends a session showing how to calibrate a sprayer. This is a
1. study tour
2. method demonstration
3. mass campaign
4. result demonstration
Answer
B. method demonstration
A skill is shown step by step.
The Training and Visit (T and V) system is mainly built around
1. fixing minimum prices
2. selling crops in markets
3. giving crop loans
4. regular training of extension staff and scheduled visits to contact farmers
Answer
D. regular training of extension staff and scheduled visits to contact farmers
It used a fixed fortnightly training and visit routine.
Which body at district level links research, extension, farmers and other agencies in a farmer-driven way?
1. FCI
2. NABARD
3. ATMA
4. NSC
Answer
C. ATMA
Agricultural Technology Management Agency does this at district level.
Village agriculture, horticulture and sericulture assistants in AP work as the first contact at the
1. Rythu Bharosa Kendram (RBK)
2. High Court
3. State Assembly
4. Zilla Parishad office
Answer
A. Rythu Bharosa Kendram (RBK)
RBKs are village-level service centres for farmers.
A farmer has a personal crop problem. The best method to help him is
1. a newspaper advertisement
2. farm visit
3. a national exhibition
4. television
Answer
B. farm visit
Individual problems need individual contact.
Which message quality is NOT desirable in extension?
1. Simple
2. Timely
3. Correct
4. Complicated and in technical language
Answer
D. Complicated and in technical language
Messages must be simple and in the local language.
According to Dale's Cone of Experience, learning is strongest through
1. only reading
2. only listening
3. only watching words
4. direct, purposeful experience
Answer
D. direct, purposeful experience
Doing is at the base of the cone.
An exposure visit of farmers to a successful farm elsewhere is a
1. mass method
2. individual method
3. group method
4. print method
Answer
C. group method
A study tour takes a group to see practice in action.
The main source of 'feedback' in extension is
1. the soil colour
2. the rainfall record
3. farmers' reaction and problems carried back to research
4. the price of fertiliser
Answer
C. farmers' reaction and problems carried back to research
Feedback links the field to scientists.
Which of the following is an electronic mass medium?
1. Bulletin
2. Radio
3. Poster
4. Leaflet
Answer
B. Radio
Radio and TV are electronic; the rest are print.
Which one is a result demonstration objective?
1. To prove that a new practice is better than the old one
2. To announce a loan scheme
3. To collect census data
4. To teach how to tie a knot
Answer
A. To prove that a new practice is better than the old one
Result demonstrations compare practices.
Consider the statements about adoption. 1. Individual methods are strong at the trial and adoption stages. 2. Mass methods are strong at the awareness stage. Which is/are correct?
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
C. Both 1 and 2
Both are standard observations.
Consider the statements. 1. Result demonstration is held on the farmer's field. 2. Method demonstration compares old and new practices over a season. Which is/are correct?
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
A. 1 only
The second statement describes result demonstration.
Consider the statements. 1. Farm visit is an individual contact method. 2. Group discussion is a mass method. Which is/are correct?
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
A. 1 only
Group discussion is a group method.
Consider the statements. 1. Cluster demonstration shows a practice on many plots in a village. 2. Front line demonstrations show new technology developed by research bodies. Which is/are correct?
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
C. Both 1 and 2
Both describe the demonstration types correctly.
A worker who prepares a village diary and a farmer list is mainly doing
1. land survey
2. crop insurance
3. input subsidy
4. record keeping for extension work
Answer
D. record keeping for extension work
Records help follow-up and reporting.
Which stage comes immediately before adoption?
1. Interest
2. Trial
3. Awareness
4. Evaluation
Answer
B. Trial
Trial is the last step before regular use.
The 'lab to land' idea in extension means
1. moving soil to a lab
2. building new labs
3. selling lab chemicals
4. taking research results to the field
Answer
D. taking research results to the field
It stresses transfer of technology.
A group of farmers wants to learn to raise a nursery bed. The best method is
1. a newspaper article only
2. a TV advertisement only
3. a bank talk
4. method demonstration at the nursery
Answer
D. method demonstration at the nursery
Skills are best taught by showing and doing.
The Community Development Programme, the first big village development effort in independent India, began in
1. 1920
2. 1952
3. 1975
4. 1991
Answer
B. 1952
CDP was launched in 1952.

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