After defining the term agricultural extension, Nawsheen presents the extension methods: If Agricultural Extension has these 3 functions, what is common is that all of them involve COMMUNICATION. In order to communicate, there are 3 main extension methods which exist. These are individual method (farm visits, office calls, informal contact, and telephone calls), group method (group meetings, field demonstrations, conducted tours, seminars etc.) and mass media (newsletters, pamphlets/leaflets, radio talks, TV programmes etc.). She then highlights the role of ICTs in these methods and illustrates with several concrete examples of ICTs usage for agricultural extension.
Nawsheen affirms that ICTs should not be adopted only by the extension service and farmers, but also by researchers and other stakeholders in agriculture. Sharing, obtaining and managing the right information at the right time is crucial to take decisions in agriculture and there is no better way than to use ICTs to do so. But to use ICTs, there should be proper framework, policies and collaboration from all stakeholders in agriculture.
After defining the term agricultural extension, Nawsheen presents the extension methods: If Agricultural Extension has these 3 functions, what is common is that all of them involve COMMUNICATION. In order to communicate, there are 3 main extension methods which exist. These are individual method (farm visits, office calls, informal contact, and telephone calls), group method (group meetings, field demonstrations, conducted tours, seminars etc.) and mass media (newsletters, pamphlets/leaflets, radio talks, TV programmes etc.). She then highlights the role of ICTs in these methods and illustrates with several concrete examples of ICTs usage for agricultural extension.
However, despite having different extension methods and ICTs as well, very often what happens is that the information generated by research or other information required by farmers is out of their reach. These situations arise when there is a failure in the extension process and there may be several reasons behind it. This issue may be viewed in the perspective of (a) Farmers and (b) Extension Officers.
She eventually expresses that If we want to use ICTs in Agricultural Extension, there are several points that should be considered in order for it to be effective: Training of Extension staff and farmers, Proper structure and the support of the government.