Training and visit (T & V) in Agriculture Extension

Sohail Ilyas

University of Agriculture

Faisalabad Pakistan

[email protected]

Training and Visit System (T & V)

T & V is a unique approach bringing professional subject matter specialist and farmers together to learn and facilitate farming operations to help farmers produce more

Meaning and Concept of Training and Visit System:

The Training and Visit system in Agricultural Extension Education is designed for building a lined professional extension service that is capable of guiding the farmers in agricultural production and raising their income by providing appropriate plans for country development

Training & VisitBasic Assumptions

The assumptions with this approach are:

EFS are poorly trained and not up-to-date

Training & VisitBasic Assumptions cont.

less frequent visits and extension contact

 management and supervision are inadequate and

two way flow of information between research and extension is weak

Purpose

T & V approach was to ensure that: The extension agents should carry out

extension functions exclusively Extension should be closely linked with the

research Training should be a regular and continuous

process at all levels  Work should be time-bound Field and farmer orientation should be

maintained

Training & Visit Cont.Nature of planning

Top-down approach to planning Decisions are taken at the top Production recommendation send

down to farmers for adoption Rural people are usually not involve Farmers problems and challenges

are suppose to be conveyed to SMS by EFS

Training & Visit Cont.Implementation Techniques

Contact farmer approach

Field demonstration

Farm visits and tours

Group and individual meetings

Telephone calls

Training & Visit Cont.Implementation Techniques

Fortnightly visit by agent

Fortnightly regular of EFS by SMS

Evaluation by EFS and SMS

Evaluation and review by RELC at the zonal level

Training & Visit Cont.Field Staffs

Reduction of operational areas Regular and continue training of EFS Provision of logistics eg. motorbikes,

teaching materials etc Better and improve emolument

of EFS (Extension Field staff)

Training & Visit Cont.Measure of Success

Level of adoption of innovation Farmers KAPS Productivity

Training & Visit Cont.Advantages/Strengths of T&V

This system/approach had provided an effective way for improving knowledge and efficiency of the extension staff.

Improvement in extension coverage Fixed schedule of visits to farmers,

which helped farmers to have contact with EFS on the one hand and helped the supervisory staff to know the whereabouts of the EFS

T & V Cont. Advantages/Strengths of T&V Cont.

Regular training of the staff which helped to develop technical competence and effective delivery.

The extension workers were assigned specific job

Provision of logistic support in terms of providing mobility etc

Failures or Weaknesses of T & V

It was a top-down approach (expert know all)

So called expert transfer technology to solve rural people problems

It was also criticized as too rigid in terms of fortnightly visits especially during the slack seasons

Failures or Weaknesses of T & V

Failures or Weaknesses of T & V

Its main focus was on procedural aspects rather than other essential aspects like the message and its dissemination

It is an expensive approach as it involves high level of recurrent expenditure in developing countries like Pakistan & India

 Failures or Weaknesses of T & V

It is too labor intensive which a poor country like Pakistan may not be able to afford

This approach did not make effective use of mass media

The selection of CFs was biased as they were not representatives of the resource poor farmers

Thank You