Educational approach for Krishi Vigyan Kendra in generating Livelihood Security

 

Basavaprabhu Jirli

Professor 

Department of Extension Education, Institute of Agricultural Sciences,

Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi – 221005

e-Mail: bjirli@bhu.ac.in

Introduction:

Chambers and Conway (1992) defined livelihood as "Livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets (stores, resources, claims, and access) and activities required for a means of living; a livelihood is sustainable which can cope with and recover from stress and shocks, maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets, and provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for the next generation".

 

Livelihood Security timeline:

•       1970 – Concerned with national and global food supplies

•       1980 – Emphasis on both the availability and stable access to food

•       1990 – Focus  on Nutritional Security

•       2000 - Focus on Household Livelihood Security

 

Potential openings for ensuring livelihood security: Secondary Agriculture shall play a pivotal role in ensuring livelihood security in the long run. As primary producers have achieved the best possible results in production aspects, now the need of the hour is to enhance the monitory benefits of primary producers by adopting secondary agriculture. There are no established definitions of secondary agriculture but Planning Commission in 2007 accepted secondary agriculture as “assembling, ripening, cleaning, grading, sorting, drying, preserving, packing and storing.” Later in 2018 Ashok Dalwai Committee in their report on “adding value to primary agriculture and building agricultural enterprises in rural India” through “farm-linked activities and secondary agriculture” defined secondary agriculture as a production activity at enterprise/farm level, and it devised a four-fold strategy:

a.     Sustainability of production;

b.     Monetisation of farmers’ produce;

c.     Strengthening of extension services;

d.     Recognising agriculture as an enterprise, and enabling it to operate as such, by addressing various structural weaknesses.

 

This four-fold strategy for secondary agriculture has drawn attention of development professionals, agribusiness academics and experts, and policymaking bodies. Secondary agriculture, as is defined, can help drive the growth of primary agriculture, and three avenues have been identified that adequately help utilise capital, human resources, technology, organisational capabilities, and risk management:

 

Type A: Value-addition to primary agriculture production systems;

Type B: Alternative enterprises, but linked to rural off-farm activities;

Type C: Enterprises that thrive on crop residues and waste materials of primary agriculture.

 

Type A can be achieved by improving livelihood enhancement action plans that are implemented by farmer-based/community-based organisations. Linking farmers with the market through aggregation and assaying/grading of agricultural produce can help them in value enhancement and appropriation. Collectivisations, cluster farming, financial literacy, marketing skills are important to build this avenue.

 

Type B is based on utilisation of alternative enterprises to primary agriculture, but is associated with rural off-farm activities. For example, poultry, bee-keeping, duck farming and livestock management are off-farm enterprises that can be promoted as part of integrated farming system. Integrated farming can hedge farm risk in the period of crop failure, or ease out the seasonality in the stream of cash flows.

 

Type C are such enterprises that strive on crop residues, or by-products of primary agriculture. For example, after recovering sugar from cane, cane can be used as bagasse for molasses production. Similarly, cotton stalk and seed (after ginning) can be used for de-oiled cake preparation or utilised in the secondary/tertiary sector.

 

To promote agricultural entrepreneurship or agricultural enterprises, there is need for recognition of priority sector status for institutional credit; low-cost skilling and knowledge-based exposure of farm communities; specialised extension services for enterprises owned by females; priority under rural electrification objectives; fast-track procedures to avail benefits under the ongoing central sector schemes; and label geographical indicators to products of village-scale secondary agriculture. (Adopted from Kushankur Dey (2019),  Secondary agriculture: The shift Indian farming needs,https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/secondary-agriculture-the-shift-indian-farming-needs/1807044/)

 

Krishi Vigyan Kendra as an institution is involved in imparting need based skills to the stakeholders in a district. Under such circumstances the paper focuses on two important issues viz., 1. Skills (capabilities) needed by KVK professionals who are responsible for development of skills of stakeholders 2. Educational approach to be adopted by KVK professionals while imparting training/educational programmes. To achieve these two pivotal issues the concept of “Extension Technology” need to be deliberated in detail.

 

What is Extension Technology?

Technology per se refers to ‘application of scientific knowledge for practical purpose’, then what is scientific knowledge? Scientific knowledge is what we learn from scientific processes, these processes involve experimentation for exploring answers and collecting data. The scientific process involves a series of steps. Begins with a question, to find answers needs lot of review of literature which provides insights for preparing a framework for research. A hunch (hypothesis) is developed to prove the assumptions. A set of experimentation generate the required data, the data needs analysis using appropriate methodology which ends with drawing of appropriate conclusions. If any issues associated with getting results, there is need for repeating the process of experimentation and confirm that procedure is working. If the conclusions are in line with hunch (hypothesis), the outcomes may be taken to public domain. If any deviations are observed, reporting this becomes foundation for future research.

 

The extension technological issues discussed have undergone these processes and evolved as standard techniques with scientific background. One method of extension is NOT suitable for all situations. Every situation, innovation, social systems require different methods for diffusion of innovations. This is what is the domain of extension educationist. At this juncture let’s make it clear who is Extension Educationist and Who is Extension Service Provider?

 

• Extension Service Provider: is a professional with the background of education in agriculture and/or allied sciences and specialization in the disciplines of agricultural and/or allied sciences who is serving a public or private institution and meant for dissemination of the technological advances to the intended communities and institutions based on needs after acquiring the extension and communication tools and techniques from Extension Educationist.

 

Every agricultural professional is having a basic degree in agriculture or allied sciences viz., veterinary, horticulture, sericulture, fisheries etc then specialization during his/her post graduate and PhD. And it becomes is area of providing extension service. Every specialist has his own subject and area to deal with. But our clients and policy makers are putting them in one basket and expecting the miracle to happen. How is it possible? Until and unless the difference between these professionals is appreciated and understood, we can’t think of any remarkable change in Indian agricultural scenario.

 

·       Extension Educationist: is a professional with the background of education in agriculture and/or allied sciences and specialization in extension science and provides the knowledge and skills of extension and communication tools and techniques to the Extension Service Providers at regular intervals to bring the desirable changes in the behavior of Extension Service Providers.

 

The clientele of extension education include research scientists, faculty of SAUs, extension service providers of State Department of Agriculture and other line departments, financial intuitions, input manufacturers (Seed, Fertilizers, plat protection chemicals, agricultural implements etc.), input supply agencies,  NGO professionals, progressive farmers and opinion leaders etc.

 

Extension service providers should work with Extension Educationist and obtain the desired information and extension technologies for educating their clientele (including farmers) on agricultural technology rather than involving in Transfer of Technology. The connotation attached with the term ‘Extension’ in Indian context.

 

In Indian context it is very difficult to delineate nature, culture and agriculture. They share close knitted relationships. With developments, modern applications, there is more demand for comfortable technologies. Efforts in this direction led to innovations and over a period of time agricultural production process was dominated by technology. On the other hand the extension mechanism was not prepared for the dissemination of over flooding technologies. With such situation there existed a new paradigm which can be understood with the help of following models.

 

The traditional model of technology transfer, process, method, principles, objectives and philosophy in Indian context in pre independence era were dominated by technology and the approach of dissemination of innovations was secondary. Extension was only exploited as an instrument by scientific community to transfer the technology which was lacking in adoption of educational approach and involvement of ultimate beneficiaries need assessment. The situation has been represented diagrammatically in Fig.1. As a result of which there existed phenomenon like non adoption of technology or partial adoption of technology (De and Jirli 2010). 

 

Subsequently in the later stages extension and development thinkers started pondering about absence of human element in the extension approach and in the post green revolution period the approach was re-organized into participatory and putting the farmer first types of projects were initiated and people started visualizing some changes in the extension approaches. In the mean time extension service providers dominated the domain of extension educationists and extension educationists took back seat in the competition.

 

Extension service providers felt they are good extension educationists   and the process of technology transfer continued unabated. Again the resultant was not much different than the earlier model which has been depicted in fig.2. In the initial stages there were some encouraging outcomes for the approach but still the similar end product of partial adoption or non adoption continued. This is a crucial juncture for extension educationists that how long the system is going to continue with such stalemate? There must be re-thinking on the issue, there must be clear cut demarcation between the roles

 

 

of actors of development i.e. the roles of Extension service providers and extension educationists. Can we have the comprehensible demarcations between these two roles of agricultural information disseminators? The current scenario is not having any mechanism to identify the multiple roles of extension educators, most of the time they are treated as extension workers or extension service providers. The basic question is why such discussion at this juncture of second green revolution or ever green revolution. The simple answer is let’s not reiterate the mistakes of first green revolution. Then what’s the way out? The way out is understanding the In-Tension of Ex-Tension (Adopted from De and Jirli 2010).

 

In-tension of Ex-tension:

 

By attaching the meaning "extending" relevant and useful information to the adult population at large, to the term extension, extensionist’s have assumed their responsibility on their own. In all these efforts, it was emphasized enough on the term ‘Ex-Tension’, while the term ‘In-Tension’ remained unexplored. What I mean to say is now it is opportune time to look into the term ‘In-Tension’ holistically. The term ‘In-Tension of Ex-Tension’ is conceptualized as “the degree to which the philosophy, content, ideas, notions, objectives, principles, theory and models of ‘Ex-Tension’ have been internalized by the extensionists” (De and Jirli 2010). The term Extension Education as defined by J. P. Leagans (1961) Extension education is an applied science consisting of content derived from research, accumulated field experiences and relevant principles derived from behavioural sciences synthesized with useful technology into a body of philosophy, principles, content and methods focused on the problems of out of school education for adults and youth. The definition is emphasizing on research output, service and education. These things can better be realized by internalizing the philosophy, content, ideas, notions, objectives, principles, theory and models of ‘ex-tension’ hence it is opportune time to ‘In-Tensionise’ the process of ‘Ex-Tension’. 

 

Educational approach of extension:

 

One of the examples for Non-formal education is extension education, which has advantage over the formal education for educating farming community, has many advantages. Largely extension organizations organize huge number of capacity development activities viz., training, demonstrations, study tours, exposure visits, workshops, etc. The approach raises the following questions also:

a.     Is the duration (time) scheduled for imparting education in non-formal way is sufficient?

b.     How much hands on experience are being provided to trainees?

c.     Is it that learners are feeling it as more of theoretical inputs rather than practical?

d.     Is it that in real sense farmers are being educated?

e.     Does the duration of training justify the concept to be trained?

f.      Are there any pedagogical studies which justify the approach and duration adopted?

g.     What was the logic behind adopting the said method for imparting education?

 

For answering these questions there is need for understanding educational approach of extension. Education per se is not having any implications, until and unless it transforms the components of behavior. What kinds of transformation/modifications are intended in Cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains?

 

1. Cognitive domain: It is the process of knowing, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. The actual sequence of which as per Blooms taxonomy is creating (out of synthesis), evaluation, analysis, application, understanding (comprehension) and remembering (knowledge). Every technology dissemination process and educational intervention has to undergo these processes.

 

Three levels of knowledge are

a. Factual knowledge: the essential components of technology the learner should know about. Then only he/she will become acquainted with the problem and become capable to solve the problems. This knowledge is to be provided by extension service providers.

 

b. Conceptual knowledge: the inter-relationships between the essential components of technology. Understanding of which helps in implementing the solutions in an effective manner. This knowledge is expected to be provided by scientific system.

 

c. Procedural knowledge: deals with modus operandi of technology, reasoning the utilization of technology, logical understanding of operations. This type of knowledge is to be acquired by learner from the teachers, educators, service providers etc.

 

2. Affective domain: the approach/way technology is being handled with emotions. Which is, inclusive of enthusiasm of source and receiver, motivations, attitudes, value systems and appreciation of technological intervention. These complex issues can better be explained with simple behavioural ephemeron (Bloom 1956):

 

a. Receiving phenomena: conscious hearing to others for the purpose of remembering. The key issue is willingness to listen, its responsibility of source to bring the listener to the level, grab his attention, make him aware of, ask questions if doubts exist, follow the contents and understand for application.

 

 

b. Respond to the phenomena: depicts the dynamic participation of end user. Learning outcomes lead to action/application.

 

c. Valuing phenomena: reveals the ability to solve the problems. In regular interaction with both upper and lower sections of profession. Propose a plan for social improvement and commitment to implement it.

 

d. Organizational phenomena: educates to establish balance between systematic ways adopted to solve problem and follow professional ethical standards.

 

e. Characterization (Internalization of values) phenomena: adopting instructional objectives commensurate with learners patterns adjustment to the learning situation.

 

3. Psychomotor domain: deals with skill aspects of learning. Educational interventions lead to physical movement, coordination and use of acquired skills. The skills range from manual/mechanical tasks to machine operated tasks. These skills are quantified (measured) in terms of speed of performance/execution, precision in implementation, distance covered and methods/procedures used in implementation.

 

The categories of skill phenomena include (Dave 1975):

a. Imitation phenomena: observation leading to following behavioural pattern of somebody.  Reproduction of others methods, processes, skills etc. Though it is a method of acquiring skill, in the long run yields low quality and productivity.

 

b. Manipulation phenomena: begins with recalling memory of things learnt during educational efforts. Based on memory, individual makes an effort to perform certain actions by following instructions. Indigenous knowledge is largely memory based. The oral tradition played dominant role in keeping indigenous traditions alive even today. Over a period of time we observe certain changes in adoption of indigenous knowledge also. 

 

c. Precision phenomena: performing a skill with high degree of accuracy. Get rid of any deviation to be more precise.

 

d. Articulation phenomena: establishing coordination between a series of skills to produce desirable product. Every operation in agriculture and allied sciences involves a series of activities involving skills. It needs perfect coordination between various sub units of a particular operation.

 

e. Naturalization phenomena: running behind a particular skill until mastery is achieved in performing. Regular and continuous practice leads to naturalization of skill. The ultimate output is achieving high level of skill performance.

 

Educational approach of extension should achieve these phenomenons. Otherwise we are only running behind the physical targets without achieving the real output. In a country which is predominantly agriculture based and more than 70 per cent population residing in rural areas and more than 55 per cent population still derive their livelihood from agriculture and allied enterprises, the need of the hour is to adopt extension approach in educational and service efforts. One such mode is being discussed here.

 

There are number of training programmes being organized throughout the year for farmers’ and other stakeholders by various institutions. Duration of these training varies from one day to one month, except in few cases where trainings are more than a month. Majority training programmes for farmers are of one day to one week. The questions arise regarding the method adopted for imparting training are as under:

a. Whether the stakeholders demanded for the training?

b. Did the institution analyze the needs before organizing the training?

c. Whether the resource persons were arranged as per the demands of the learners?

d. Who decided the duration of training/educational efforts?

e. What was the modus operandi of selection of trainees?

f. Whether pre-test regarding the knowledge of trainees was done?

g. What kind of care was taken in accomplishing the demands of trainees?

h. How much time was devoted for imparting skills?

i. Was there an inventory of skills to be imparted prepared?

j. What kind of cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains of education can be achieved during the training period? And so on…

 

Training is one of the modes of imparting education, where the emphasis is on skill. How these training programme are being planned and implemented? Where is the educational approach of extension? And issues associated are being discussed here. To take care of such situation, an approach of imparting appropriate education for the intended farming communities are being presented here.

 

As a part of various projects funded by ICAR/DST/DBT/CGIAR institutions/Govt. bodies/Union or state Govt. projects etc. invariably involve components like selection of farmers, training of farmers, conducting demonstration in farmers’ filed etc. Looking into the project intervention and institutional needs, every research and development institution including SAUs employs a number of farm labourers. Either the labour is permanent employee of an institution, contractual labour or daily wage employee.

 

To achieve the domains of cognition, affective and psychomotor there needs to be involvement of trainee. Hence half of the requirement of labour can be acquired through project mode for which the modus operandi may be as follows:

 

1. There is need for evolving institutional mechanism to hire half of labour requirement of an institution from project mode.

2. Such labour selected from projects is basically for imparting training for a period of not less than 3 months.

3. Youth should be given preference in selecting the trainees (up to 35 years of age)

4. They should be given accommodation at institution and labour wages as per norms

5. While they are working as farm labour they will get practical exposure to various aspects under experimentation in the institution.

6. He may be attached to different units for imparting exposure to various research interventions and its possible applications at filed level.

7. Depending on the need and interest of learner time duration may be increased or decreased.

8. Based on their learning’s they may be asked to assess the financial support required to implement their innovative ideas in their respective fields

9. Bank linkages may be established before he leaves the campus to his native place.

10.  Hand holding support may be extended to potential learners

(http://ag-extension.blogspot.com/2020/)

 

This model seems to achieve the real expectation of training rather than existing models. May be on trial basis the initiative be implemented on experimental basis in selected institutions. Later extended to rest of institutions. How to ensure this educational approach? There needs to be acquiring various skills. Even though these skills are analyzed and understood in different way in different context. The context here is extension education and service. How to exploit these skills for the purpose of extension education and providing extension service to various stakeholders.

 

Extension Skills Essential for Extension Professionals

 

1. Communication Skills (Persuasion skills, negotiation skills):

a. Dynamic listening skills

b. Speaking skills (Instructional skills)

c. Reading comprehension: i. Reading by sampling; ii. Reading by labeling; iii. Reading by Skimming; iv. Reading for studying; v. Reading by summarizing; vi. Reading by scanning; vii. Reading with comprehension

d. Writing skills: i. Memorandum; ii. Office order; iii. Circular; iv. Notice and agenda; v. Minutes; vi. Suggestions; vii. Complaints; viii. Newsletters; ix. Report

e. Thinking Skills: (Critical thinking skills, Analytical thinking)

 

f. Message Treatment Skills:

·       “Words do not end up in mere meaning they sound and suggest” means using appropriate terms is more important while receiver is farmer.

·       Message treatment should look for:

ü  Redundancies (repetitions) occurrence of  ideas and concepts (should be logical and need based)

ü  Existence of contradicting ideas

ü  Arrangement of information in chronological order (ascending or descending depends on situation) and comparing and contrasting the facts in a logical manner.

ü  Presenting facts, figures etc in inductive or deductive manner

ü  Interpreting the facts/ideas/concepts in general to specific or specific to general, based on the need of the listener or situation

ü  Communicator (either in written or oral) should become emotional if situation requires and be logical in every situation.

ü  It’s the communicator who has the choice to draw conclusion at the end of the communication situation and/or he can leave the choice to listener is based on the situation.

 

g. Developing message suitable to specific media:

 

h. Feedback skills: Feedback must be: Precise, well-timed, consequential and honest; Helpful to source to improve the future performance; Must be future oriented; Based on performance of source/communicator but not on the person; May be positive or negative but must be constructive; Must be focused on improving the future communication processes

 

i. Noise reducing skills:

j. Fidelity enhancing skills

 

2. Problem solving skills: Situation can be addressed by following methods: i. Stimulus-Response skills; ii. Pool of solution; iii. Brainstorming; iv. Process thinking; v. Thinking implications

 

3. Coordination skills:

4. System analysis skills (Monitoring, Evaluation skills):

5. Time management skills:

 

6. Human Resource Management Skills: a. Social structure of society (Social orientation); b. Culture, Norms, Taboos, Folkways, Traditions; c. Social mobility; d. Caste system; e. Dynamics of social system; f. Social concerns

 

7. Management Skills:

8. Operational Management Skills

9. Financial Management Skills:

10. Material Resource Management Skills:

11. Media Management Skills:

12. Leadership Skills:

13. Motivational Skills:

14. Innovation skills:

15. Pressure management skills (Stress management):

16. e-Readiness skills:

17. Information management skills:

 

Conclusion:

Over a period of time extension needs to realize the paradigm shift. In the initial stages extension was used as an instrument for transfer of technology. In this process ‘educational’ aspect of extension took back seat. Even today largely extension is considered as mere postman’s job. The processes associated with extension education are being neglected. Hence the discipline of extension is not able to demonstrate its dynamism in the agricultural development scenario. In addition to above listed skills of extension, research in extension is not discussed. Research is another important in extension. If you want to be an effective extension professional you need to have the holistic understanding of extension technologies apart from the domain in which you are operating.

 

Lecture delivered by Prof. Basavaprabhu Jirli, IAS-BHU, Varanasi in the off campus training course organized by MPUAT, Udaipur with MANAGE on “Enhancing efficiency of Krishi Vigyan Kendras” on 24^th April 2021.