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Momodou
Denmark
11634 Posts |
 Posted - 18 Dec 2007 : 21:49:55
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Agric PS Criticises Poor Extension Services
By Modou Jonga
Dr. Amadou Sowe, the Permanent Secretary at the Department of State for Agriculture (DoSA), has said that the poor training of agricultural extension staff has been part of the problem of the relative ineffectiveness of extension delivery in the field. The DOSA Permanent Secretary urged for changes in training in order to reverse the current trend. Dr. Sowe disclosed that most field- level extension staff lack the requisite knowledge, skills and attitudes required to work in a complex and rapidly changing agricultural environment.
The DoSA P.S noted that the challenge is to provide responsive training programmes that will enable extension staff to develop the competence needed to enable staff in using participatory, reflective and active learning processes with farmers.
Speaking further, Dr. Sowe lamented that extension workers who are assigned to work with the farming population have little knowledge of the basic attitudes and customs of the people. They lack training in adult education methods and rural sociology, posited, Dr. Sowe. He urged extension fieldworkers to have skills, knowledge and attitudes to bring about behavioural changes and the performance needed in the workplace.
While noting that the majority of farmers in The Gambia are smallholders who primarily traditional manage farming system, the DOSA Permanent Secretary noted that an integrated and unified approach to extension organisation and delivery could help adequately. He noted that environmental protection and sustainable
productivity also require a holistic approach to the management and delivery of extension services. He then pointed out that this is the rational for the current restructuring of the agricultural sector into a National Agricultural Development Agency (NADA). He revealed that the main aim of NADA is to consolidate the previous achievements in the agricultural sector and to facilitate further improvement on the extension delivering system. P.S Sowe noted that the harmonisation of extension approaches and the integration of all extension services, for crops livestock, forestry and fisheries is required so that a single extension worker would advise and assist farmers on all their activities.
While describing extension workers as the main source of support for farmers in all aspects of production and resource management, Dr. Sowe said an effective new unified extension services with a threefold strategy should be adopted.
These threefold strategy, P.S Sowe, he said, requires that support and intervention to be based on farmer’s needs, the stabilisation and enhancing of the productive physical environment and the introduction of new technology for increase production. Dr. Sowe made these remarks on Thursday 13 December, 2007 while delivering the official launching statement of an Equine Husbandry Course at the Gambia College.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issues
Issue No. 148, 17 – 18 December 2007
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