Contents

Preface
I. Introduction
II. Pre-Independence Era
III. Post-Independence Era
IV. Motivation
V. Extension Methodology in India
VI. Training of Extension Personnel
VII. Extension Organization in India
VIII. Extension and Women
IX. Extension and Rural Youth
X. Emerging Thoughts in Extension

Preface

Agricultural extension is an educational process which has its goal to help the rural people to build a better life by conveying the useful and needed information at appropriate time. It is essential for agricultural development. It plays a major part in technology transfer to the rural areas. Though the concept of agricultural extension started in early 16th century but the actual functioning started only after the second world war.

Dr. K.T. Chandy, Agricultural & Environmental

I. Introduction

Agricultural extension is a branch of agriculture which assists the farmers to bring about continuous improvement in their physical, economic and social well being through individual and cooperative efforts. In other words, it helps in the development of an individual and the village community as a whole. It makes available to the farming community the scientific and technical information, training and guidance to solve the problems in agriculture including animal husbandry, gardening, horticulture, silviculture, agricultmal engineering etc. Agricultural extension helps the village people to help themselves and to raise the standard of their living. Thus, the goal of extension process is to enable people to use the skills, knowledge and information to improve their quality of life.

India's extension programme is said to be "unique" because it has both community development and extension programmes in it. As a community development programme it aids in the development of village communities and as an extension programme, it develops channels between information centres to carry all types of scientific and technical informations to millions of villagers. These programmes and administrative set up of extension service is the outcome of several efforts and reforms made over the years. The evolution of the extension programme in our country is described as follows.

II. Pre-Independence Era

Earlier, villages were self-contained, self-sufficient and self administrative. There was little need for social welfare. Gradually, this situation was changed as the world itself went through a series of changes and due to exposure of villagers to outside people. People felt the need of rural reconstruction work. Various scattered and short-lived efforts were made towards rural development in various parts of the country by individuals or organizations. Efforts were made to spread agricultural technology among the farmers. Notable among these are mentioned here.

A. Work at Shanti-niketan

In 1908, Shri Rabindranath Tagore, under his scheme of rural development work, started youth organizations in the villages. In 1921, he established a rural reconstruction institute. A group of eight villages was the target of such programme. Various agricultural programmes were conducted by Shantiniketan.

Under its agricultural programme, the institute conducted demonstrations on the farmers fields on improved practices, established a dairy to supply pure milk and better animals to the farmers for breeding, established a poultry for the same purpose. The students and workers from the institute trained weavers, organised their cooperatives and provided facilities for training in tanning, pottery, embroidery, tailoring etc.