Colleges of Agriculture at the Land Grant Universities Public Service and Public Policy (1996) / Chapter Skim
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5 EXTENSION
5 EXTENSION
Pages 87-104
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From page 87... ...
The three-way partnership among the federal government, the states, and the local communities was established to enable the delivery of new technologies to the farm and to relay farmers' needs to the university researcher as well as teach technical and self-enhancement skills to farm and rural youth; and it has helped rural households and communities meet their daily economic challenges and cope with changing times (Rasmussen, 1989~. Although the distinction is not always clear, university extension, conversely, is more often focused on continuing education for graduates and members of the community and it is often fee-based.
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From page 88... ...
Cooperative extension, as the interface between the KNOWLEDGE AND university and the people, has an important continuing role in assuring that the conduct D ee e A D'" of related sc~ences ~s ~n the nahonal ~nterest. ^'~'~ - Extension shares this role increasingly with the private sector; however, publicly financed extension remains in the national interest for three main reasons.
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From page 89... ...
The trend at many, particularly the larger research, universities has been toward fundamental, discipline-based research a trend driven by federal research grants programs, by the strong justification for federal financing of basic research, and by the growing role of private firms in conducting some types of applied research. If extension is well integrated into the research process at the earlier as well as later stages of the research continuum and in touch with public issues and clientele needs, it can contribute importantly to the articulation of fundamental knowledge, practical applications, and public priorities.
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From page 90... ...
This represented 29 percent of all cooperative extension funding from state, local (including county and private) , and federal sources, down from 42 percent 20 years ago (National Research Council, 1995a)
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From page 91... ...
In this context, the federal partner can help the system realize considerable gains in efficiency by providing the incentives for states to engage in regional and other collaborative extension efforts (see Recommendation 3~. A second important role is that of financial supporter of those programs that provide public benefits where the constituency at the state and local levels lack economic means and political effectiveness.
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From page 92... ...
The committee hopes that the federal partner will accept the challenge to take on a stronger, more viable role in cooperative extension. EXTENSION'S ROLE The context of He national condition is very different than it was at the time the base ~ N TH E MODERN for extension was laid.
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From page 93... ...
............................................................................................................................. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Challenges and First, the improvements in transportation and communication networks, coupled Opportunities for with the widespread awareness of extension among agricultural clientele and the higher the Future education levels of that clientele mean that there are opportunities to reconsider delivery points for extension services and to use advanced delivery technologies such as telecom munications and computer networks.
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From page 94... ...
In Chile, vouchers distributed by the government allow farmers to purchase private extension services. In the Australian state of Victoria, a form of privatization has been proposed (Cary, 1993~.
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From page 95... ...
Public extension must have a continuing and important role in assuring access by these farmers to knowledge regarding farm technologies and agronomic practices, such as biological control and crop rotations, and to information on market opportunities, financial strategies, and public policies. In fact, consistent with Recommendation 2, it is particularly important for public extension to seek out and target those producer groups most in need of extension and least able to pay; it is this effort that would truly reconnect today's agricultural extension service to its original mandate.
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From page 96... ...
In some states input suppliers and private consultants have become a significant source of direct information for commercial farmers; however, these private providers often obtain their information from university extension specialists who offer special onsite or university-based training for both public extension agents and private consultants. One way to look at this relationship is to see extension personnel as wholesalers of technical information and private consultants as, increasingly, the retailers (Feller et al., 1987~.~ In the wholesaler's role, the extension specialists' connection to the university and its research base (in fact, extension specialists are often researchers, too)
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From page 97... ...
They argue that specialists can support technology transfer offices in preparing feasibility and profitability analyses and identifying potential clients. They can also work directly with university researchers to move innovations from the test tube to the field.
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From page 98... ...
This latter effort may be particularly important for smaller biotechnology companies that are at a disadvantage in competition with large chemical and seed companies. The case these smaller companies can make for an active role on the part of cooperative extension, in coordination with technology transfer offices, rests on the heterogeneous nature of agricultural systemsthousands of plants, limited growing season for testing, and the need for site-specific adaptations and the relative lack of a commercial network for dissemination and commercialization of agricultural biotechnology.
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From page 99... ...
The Research Link With respect to the link to science, of particular concern to the committee is the need to connect researchers, extension specialists, and county agents in the fields of human nutrition, rural development, and social services. The connection between nutrition education programs and research has been recognized in the past as relatively weak for a number of reasons, including · the relatively small share of experiment station research devoted to human nutrition; · the lower ratio of university-based nutrition specialists to county agents with nutrition education responsibilities (in relation to the ratio of university-based agricultural specialists to county agents)
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From page 100... ...
Extension, to be effective and scientifically sound, must be able to access all of these nutritional and food sciences locations. Additionally, although the challenge is substantial, extension specialists in human nutrition could have an important role in promoting needed interdisciplinary efforts among the food and nutrition-related disciplines.
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From page 101... ...
federal agencies where there is much additional pertinent expertise. Strengthening these programs requires a commitment from the land grant university as a whole, as well as from the college of agriculture and its extension service.
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From page 102... ...
User fees should increasingly support extension services that provide primarily private benefits to individual producers or other users. Private ben efits include such services as providing building plans, feeding rations, soil testing, pest scouting, and disease diagnostics; individualized advice for home gardeners; and indi vidualized advice on tax and investment strategies.
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From page 103... ...
Consistent with the committee's prior recommendations (Recommendations 3, 4, 15, and 17) , these competitive grants should provide incentives for · multistate, multi-institution, or regional extension programs; · new and innovative approaches to the delivery of extension services, particularly where access can be expanded significantly and benefits shared across political boundaries; · programs that significantly improve the science basefor extension programs, such as those dealing with human nutrition education and social science issues; and · programs that enhance the public service component of academic programs.
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From page 104... ...
Despite these differences, the following important attributes must distinguish the nationwide extension system of tomorrow. It will have to be · results driven, · relevant to consumers and producers, · science based, and · more efficient in both delivery mechanisms and the use of public funds.
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