Extension is a multi-disciplinary science engaged in solving complex problems in agriculture. With increasing complexities in farming, environment and social system, extension has to achieve multiple development goals ranging from sustainability to increasing farm income and enhancing sector competitiveness. In other words, extension in the current context must reinvent itself from its primary goal of “stretching out” the university science to generation, adaptation and application of new knowledge.

Extension research is the backbone of the “extension discipline”. As a “field-oriented” professional discipline, the extension research has relied heavily on exploration, facilitation and appraisal/assessment by employing qualitative and quasi-quantitative methods. The extension researchers’ perception of a “field oriented discipline” has largely affected his/her selection and use of methods, resulting in “less significant” outputs.

Though the extension research was envisaged to develop sound methods and models to help the field functionaries for effective delivery of extension services, very little progress has been made in the past six decades.

 Read the full AESA Blog (part 1) by Sethuraman Sivakumar, India