Agricultural Extension has been regarded as a voluntary, out-of-school educational system. It has no fixed curriculum and deals mainly with the present needs of farmers. All types of farmers are involved (heterogeneous) male, female, small-scale, large-scale, etc. The experiences acquired are meant for immediate application on the farmer’s field. Extension is a democratic and continuous, cyclic process.
Through extension work, farmers learn the need for change, the process of change, its results, and benefits. It is, therefore, education for use or action. It is necessary to ensure a well-coordinated and effective administration of the processes of involving farmers and researchers for efficient outcomes.
The need for understanding the basic concept of extension administration becomes apparent. This article explains the meaning of administration and extension administration.
Definition of Administration in Agricultural Extension
Administration is the guidance, leadership, and control of the efforts of a group of persons towards some common goals. It implies conscientious efforts directed toward organizing and controlling human activities in order to achieve agreed or desired goals. It involves the organization, direction, and control of persons and facilities in order to accomplish specified ends.
Administration involves essential activities of people charged with ordering, forwarding, and facilitating the efforts of individuals or groups brought together for desirable purposes. It involves efforts such as decision-making, programming, communicating relevant information, controlling, and evaluating various actions.
Administration is used during policy formulation for developing staff, understanding the planning process, job description, training, and evaluation processes.
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Management Versus Administration in Agricultural Extension
Management is a part of administration. Management is an administrative technique in the conduct of public affairs. The traditional framework within which civil service exercises its responsibilities is described as administration. Administration lays emphasis on proper procedure, regulation, and control. It employs ease of communication to achieve unambiguity – interpreting words and issues to ease the operation of a system.
Administration takes place in various sectors like health, universities, the army, churches, agriculture, industries, businesses, and social organizations such as the Agricultural Extension Service.
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The Concept of Extension Administration in Agricultural Extension
Agricultural extension involves various activities directed to improve food production and living standards of the people. Extension, therefore, requires direction and control of these activities in order to achieve the desired goals.
Extension administration depicts the effort of the administrator to direct, guide, and integrate the activities of members of the staff in order to attain the goal of the extension service and help farmers realize their objectives.
Thus, extension administration refers to the art of directing, guiding, and controlling human and material resources in an extension system. It involves the articulate joining of all aspects of agriculture such as animal and crop husbandry, soil management, technology design, and supply services in order to increase food production and income levels of farmers.
Administration in extension is concerned mainly with bringing human beings together for the purpose of executing extension functions. The administrator at the upper hierarchy should permit all members of the extension agency to participate in the efficient utilization of the available resources in order to achieve set goals.
Members of an extension service are categorized into directive or executive cadres. Any staff in the directive cadre assumes responsibility for directing, which indicates that there are people to direct.
Similarly, the executive staff (also known as organizing staff) has the responsibility for organizing and executing issues, which indicates that there are people to organize. For meaningful extension administration, mutual co-existence among members of an extension system is necessary.
Extension administration recognizes the existence of people with diverse interests, aptitudes, attitudes, and social backgrounds. Therefore, extension is designed to serve farmers with differences in orientation.
Extension has the task of limiting various interests and discouraging the uninteresting nature of farmers in order to salvage the whole agricultural system and achieve overall improvement in the national economy. Extension administrators should focus efforts toward desired change. Change can be achieved through meaningful inter- and intra-organizational relationships among extension workers and other development agencies.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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