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2. An analysis of the public's image of the Michigan cooperative extension service
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Hanenburg, Darlene (author), Peabody, Fred (author), Ferris, Maxine (author), and Heinze, Kirk (author)
- Format:
- Survey report result
- Publication Date:
- unknown
- Published:
- USA
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 199 Document Number: D09833
- Notes:
- NCR-90 Collection, 2 pages
3. Comparison of extension personnel and supervisor perceptions of communications activities
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Bowman, Brittany (author), Settle, Quisto (author), North, Elizabeth Gregory (author), Lewis, Kerri Collins (author), and Oklahoma State University Mississippi State University
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2018
- Published:
- United States: New Prairie Press
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 152 Document Number: D10159
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Applied Communications
- Journal Title Details:
- 102(4)
- Notes:
- 18 pages, via online journal, Extension is often called the “best-kept secret” having low awareness with the public but high satisfaction with clientele. Extension services nationwide have faced budget cuts, creating a need for the organization to re-evaluate its activities, including how it communicates with its stakeholders. While Extension personnel are the ones who will do most of the communicating, their supervisors impact the personnel’s actions, which means it is important to assess both groups. A survey was conducted with Extension personnel and their supervisors in Mississippi assessing engagement in communications activities and perceptions of those activities, as well as personnel’s preference of professional development activities. Personnel reported higher use, comfort, and importance of more traditional (e.g. making a speech) and written activities (e.g. writing a promotional handout) than media-relations activities (e.g. being interviewed for TV), social media-related activities (e.g. managing a Twitter account), and visual communication activities (e.g. graphic design). Supervisors perceived individual communications activities as less important overall than personnel did, and although supervisor and communication scores for use and comfort/capability were similar for most communication activities, there were noticeable exceptions. Additionally, personnel preferred professional development activities that were hands-on or showing the activities first-hand (e.g. demonstrations and field days). Future research should be expanded to other states, conducted in a case study format to study specific relationships, and involve qualitative components. Extension should ensure clear supervisor-communication dialogue on prioritizing communication activities, provide training on communication activities with low use and comfort, and utilize early innovators who are comfortable using newer communication activities.
4. Department of agricultural journalism University of Wisconsin-Madison: Faculty and graduate student research, 1990
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Format:
- Research report
- Publication Date:
- 1990
- Published:
- USA
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 199 Document Number: D09924
- Notes:
- NCR-90 Collection, Prepared for the NCR-90 meeting. Iowa State University, Oct. 24-26, 1990. 13 pages.
5. Evaluation and impact of a reflective training process for rural extension agents
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Landini, Fernando (author), Brites, Walter (author), and University of La Cuenca del Plata
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2018-07-18
- Published:
- Argentina: Taylor & Francis
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 106 Document Number: D10931
- Journal Title:
- The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension
- Journal Title Details:
- 25(5) : 457-472
- Notes:
- 15 pages, via online journal, Purpose: This article assesses a non-traditional training methodology for extension agents, focused on the exchange of experiences among peers and the reflection on practice, with the aim of exploring its potential as a training strategy. Design/Methodology/approach: A quali-quantitative investigation was conducted, which included interviews with extension agents, the use of different questionnaires, and recordings of the evaluation sessions carried out during each workshop. Findings: This research allowed us to understand the importance of effective group coordination, a participatory climate, working in small groups, and the feedback loop between theory and practice for processes of experience sharing and reflection on practice. Some of the positive effects of the training observed were that extension agents acquired new knowledge and methodologies, reflected critically upon their practice, and put into question their own extension approach. Practical Implications: Given its potentialities, implementing training processes focused on experience sharing and reflection on practice for rural extension workers, seems advisable. Theoretical Implications: This article contributes to the understanding of how experience sharing and reflection on practice can generate transformations in rural extension agents’ approaches and positioning. Originality/Value: This study systematically assesses the impacts that training has on extension workers, as well as the underlying processes that made it possible to generate them.
6. Experiences of others with field-based communicators : perspectives of agricultural communication unit heads (University of Illinois, Office of Agricultural Communications and Education)
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Snowdon, Gail (author / Decision Data Specialist, Information Services, Office of Agricultural Communications and Education, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL)
- Format:
- Report
- Publication Date:
- 1992-03
- Published:
- USA
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 91 Document Number: C06628
- Notes:
- Snowdon, Urbana, IL : University of Illinois, Office of Agricultural Communications and Education, Information Services, 1992. 7 p. (Decision Data Summary, Information Guide to Communications Planning No. 21)
7. Expert identification of in-service training needs of field agents working in training and visit systems of extension
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Alawy, A.S. (author / Ohio State University, Columbus) and Ohio State University, Columbus
- Format:
- Report
- Publication Date:
- 1994
- Published:
- USA
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 97 Document Number: C07947
- Notes:
- abstracted from Master's thesis, 1993; search through volume, In: Jacquelyn Deeds and Demetria Ford, eds. Summary of Research in Extension (1992-1993). Mississippi State, MS: Department of Agricultural Education and Experimental Statistics, Mississippi State University, July 1994. p. 122
8. Factors affecting performance of agricultural extension: evidence from Democratic Republic of Congo
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Ragasa, Catherina (author), Ulimwengo, John (author), Randriamamonjy, Josee (author), Badibanga, Thaddee (author), and International Food Policy Research Institution Washington, DC office Western and Central Africa Regional Office
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2016-04
- Published:
- Netherlands: Taylor and Francis
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 108 Document Number: D10953
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension
- Journal Title Details:
- 22(2) : 113-143
- Notes:
- 32 pages, via online journal article, Purpose: As part of the institutional reforms and agricultural restructuring in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), this paper provides an assessment of the performance of the agricultural extension system as well as factors explaining it. Method: This paper involves key informants’ interviews and surveys of 107 extension organizations and 162 extension agents in randomly selected 156 villages, analyzed using qualitative and logistic regression methods. Findings and Practical Implications: Results show that despite having one of the highest extension agent-to-farmer ratio and a pluralistic extension system, DRC fails to deliver knowledge and technologies to rural areas due to lack of coordination, no unified and clear policy and mandate, lack of funding, aging and low competencies of agents, and lack of mobility and interactions of agents with key actors. This paper complements findings by other studies that number of agents is not a sufficient indication of performance, but an effective system needs to focus on the enabling environment for agents to be motivated to work as mandated. In this paper, enabling conditions that are found to be statistically significant are external funding, enforcement of performance targets, systems of rewards and sanctions, mobility to foster linkages, and skills development. Originality: This paper contributes by: (1) analyzing a cross-section of various organizations and agents to identify factors that explain variations in performance in a statistical and systematic approach; (2) providing insights on how to prioritize investments and options for a fragile state like DRC, with weak infrastructure and institutional capacity and with a long history of neglect for their national extension system; and (3) illustrating how a rich and well-cited conceptual framework can be implemented empirically to provide policy options for a country like DRC.
9. Farmers, computers and consultants
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Patrick, G.F. (author)
- Format:
- study summary
- Publication Date:
- unknown
- Published:
- USA
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 199 Document Number: D09894
- Notes:
- NCR-90 Collection, Purdue University, 1 page.
10. How to be a good rural extensionist. Reflections and contributions of Argentine practitioners
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Landini, Fernando (author) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnicas (National Council of Scientific and Technological Research), Argentina University of La Cuenca del Plata, Argentina University of Moron, Argentina
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2015-04-15
- Published:
- Argentina: Elsevier
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D10882
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Rural Studies
- Journal Title Details:
- 43 : 193-202
- Notes:
- 9 pages, online journal article, Quality rural extension is of utmost importance for generating food security and sustainable rural development. In this paper, Argentine rural extensionists' point of view on how to be a good practitioner is described, as well as compared to good practices proposed by scholars and international development organizations. Forty rural extensionists from the Northeastern Argentine provinces were interviewed (29men, 11 women). Interviews were recorded and transcribed, texts were categorized and contents analyzed. Scholars and extensionists, despite agreeing to most of the same principles, frame their recommendations for good extension practices in different ways. The former's recommendations tend to be supported by multiple case studies and focused on best practices on the level of extension projects or policies, while the latter's tend to draw upon their own experience and develop proposals more concerned with interpersonal interactions and with overcoming practical problems in real (and not ideal)settings. Best extension practices depend on environmental, institutional, political and cultural contexts, this implying there is no best extension practice in general. Training extensionists in interpersonal skills and in social sciences is key for reaching good extension results. Horizontal communication between farmers and extensionists, negotiation over best technologies, and helping farmers reflect on their production practices are extension strategies with great potential.