TRAINING NEEDS TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF IMPROVED EXTENSION DELIVERY IN SOUTH

AFRICA

Prof G H Düvel

University of Pretoria

THE IMPORTANCE ASSESSMENT OF DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVING EXTENSION EFFICIENCY BASED ON RANK ORDER POSITIONS AND EXPRESSED AS MEAN WEIGHTED PERCENTAGE

PROVINCE Weighted Mean (%)

Improved Manage-ment

More Accounta-bility

Better and more training

More Financial resources

Better Staff selection

Better Extension Approach

More Commit-ment

E. Cape 44.1 60.2 52.1 49.4 48.3 43.5 40.6

Free State 65.8 49.1 60.1 40.4 57.5 46.9 42.3

Gauteng 56.7 50 54.7 56.4 48.5 42.2 35.3

KwaZulu-Ntl 45.2 53.5 56.9 55.8 46.2 43.5 42.6

Limpopo 47.1 52.1 56 53.1 51.1 44 39.5

Mpumalanga 54.9 54.2 55.5 50.9 42.6 49.9 40.9

N.Cape 77.3 56.1 54.5 56.8 37.9 44.7 38.6

North West 46.6 52.5 54.9 55.7 45.3 44.1 45.9

W. Cape 60.7 38.1 52.5 64.2 37.5 54.4 52.6

Total 48.8 53.7 55.2 52.9 47.6 44.7 41.4

50.4

52.6

56.4

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

Av.

wei

ghte

d pe

rcen

tage

Senior managers Middle managers Frontline managers

Levels of management

Management Efficiency

OVERVIEW:

1. The current situation regarding extension delivery

2. Extension training – some important principles

3. The current situation regarding extension qualifications

4. Constraints and challenges

ESTIMATED EXTENSION EFFICIENCY EXPRESSED AS A RETURN ON R100 INVESTED

INSTITUTION/

CLIENT GROUP

E. Cape

Free State

Gau-teng

KZN Lim-popo

Mpu-ma-langa

N.

Cape

North West

W.

Cape

Total

Dept of Agriculture:

Own Area 90 111 96 123 80 102 84 106 150 98

Own Province 92 116 98 122 84 110 80 117 119 102

SA: Small-scale subsis. 77 95 89 110 74 89 78 107 49 89

SA: Small-scale Comm. 80 100 86 116 72 95 74 106 66 90

SA: Large-scale Comm 97 112 98 135 81 105 79 108 124 102

NGO’s

Small-scale subsis. 71 84 79 84 63 67 75 80 37 72

SA: Small-scale Comm. 73 93 81 89 65 71 74 79 46 74

SA: Large-scale Comm 82 111 100 103 73 82 72 90 43 85

15.5

25.9 28.2 27.5

2.8

05

1015202530

% Respondents

<25 25-50 51-75 76-100 >100

Input/output categories (Return per R100)

THE UNDER-PERFORMANCE IN RELATION TO PERCEIVED POTENTIAL

THE PERCEIVED UNDER-PERFORMANCE OF EXTENSIONISTS EXPRESSED AS A MEAN PERCENTAGE

58

68

72

55

54

68

65

56

107

59

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

E.Cape

Free State

Gauteng

KZN

Limpopo

Mpumalanga

N.Cape

North West

W. Cape

Total

7.8

7.69

7.47

8.07

7.78

7.63

7.87

7.75

7.63

8.12

7.3

7.71

5.55

7

6.5

6.79

9.31

6.25

7

6.67

0 2 4 6 8 10

TOTAL

W. Cape

North West

N. Cape

Mpumalanga

Limpopo

KwaZulu-Natal

Gauteng

Free State

E. Cape

Competence Scale

Supervisors and Managers

Frontline extensionists

COMPETENCE ASSESSMENT OF FRONTLINE EXTENSIONISTS BY THEMSELVES AND BY THEIR MANAGERS

FARMERS’ ASSESSMENT OF OF THE VALUE OF THE EXTENSION WORKER’S ADVICE

63

37

0

0 50 100

%

Valuable – can give examples

Of some value

No value – have never received advice of any value

FARMERS’ ASSESSMENT OF THE EXTENSION WORKERS’ SUCCESS

100

0

0

0 50 100 150

Knows about achievements and are openly appreciative

Are aware of certain achievements

Does not know of any achievements or believe there is much

AWARENESS OF THE EXTENSION WORKER’S ACITVITIES

50

38

12

0

0 20 40 60

Have good knowledge

Have some knowledge or know about some of the activities/projects

Appear to have an idea

No idea what the extension worker does

FARMERS’ AWARENESS OF THE LOCAL EXTENSION OFFICER

12

76

12

0

0 50 100

%

Interact frequently with EO or work together closely

Interact with EO sometimes

Know EO’s name but have little to do with him/her

Do not know EO. Have only heard about him/her

Principles and Characteristics of Extension Training:

1. Multi-disciplinary nature

2. Ethical nature

3. Dual speciality

4. Soft nature (compromise rigor)

5. Behaviour Principles versus Extension Methodology

Principles and Characteristics of Extension Training:

1. Multi-disciplinary nature

2. Ethical nature

3. Dual speciality

4. Soft nature (compromise rigor)

5. Behaviour Principles versus Extension Methodology

The Multidisciplinary Nature of Extension

Extension

Education

Rural Sociology

Socio-psychologyAnthropology

Agric. Economics

Principles and Characteristics of Extension Training:

1. Multi-disciplinary nature

2. Ethical nature

3. Dual speciality

4. Soft nature (compromise rigor)

5. Behaviour Principles versus Extension Methodology

THE EXTREME ALTERNATIVES OF THE CONCEPT EXTENSION/DEVELOPMENT

2. Provides insight and understanding

2. Provides recipes or instructions

4. Focus on current problems

4. Focus on future problems

6. Promotes independency

6. Maintains dependency

1. Educational 1. Advisory

3. Re-active3. Pro-active

5. Human Development

5. Agricultural Development

7. Participatory 7. No participation

Principles and Characteristics of Extension Training:

1. Multi-disciplinary nature

2. Ethical nature

3. Dual speciality

4. Soft nature (compromise rigor)

5. Behaviour Principles versus Extension Methodology

Principles and Characteristics of Extension Training:

1. Multi-disciplinary nature

2. Ethical nature

3. Dual speciality

4. Soft Science (compromise rigor)

5. Behaviour Principles versus Extension Methodology

Principles and Characteristics of Extension Training:

1. Multi-disciplinary nature

2. Ethical nature

3. Dual speciality

4. Soft nature (compromise rigor)

5. Behaviour Principles versus Extension Methodology

DISTRIBUTON OF FRONTLINE EXTENSION WORKERS ACCORDING TO

PROVINCE AND THE HIGHEST QUALIFICATION IN AGRICULTURE Qualification Certificate or

DiplomaAdvanced Dipl.

BTech of B-degree

BSc, Hons.BSc(Hons)

Masters, MSc, PhD

n % n % n % n %

Eastern Cape 175 82.9 24 11.6 10 4.7 2 0.9

Free State 20 40.8 8 16.3 18 36.7 3 6.1

Gauteng 15 29.4 14 27.5 18 35.3 4 7.8

KwaZulu-Natal 127 66.1 31 16.1 26 13.5 8 4.2

Limpopo 266 84.4 38 12.1 9 2.9 2 0.6

Mpumalanga 86 67.7 27 21.3 8 6.3 6 4.7

Northern Cape 9 42.9 2 9.5 8 38.1 2 9.5

North West 87 50.9 54 31.6 18 10.5 12 7

Western Cape 6 30 3 15 8 40 3 15

TOTAL 791 68.4 201 17.4 123 10.6 42 3.6

PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF EXTENSIONISTS ACCORDING PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF EXTENSIONISTS ACCORDING TO HIGHEST QUALIFICATIONTO HIGHEST QUALIFICATION

69

1711

3

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

% Respon-dents

Certificate orDiploma

Higher Diploma BSc Masters or PhD

CONSTRAINTS AND CHALLENGES:

1. Limited Accessibility to extension training

4th

3rd

1st

2nd

BSc Agric

3rd (4)

2nd(3)

1st (2)

B Agric

2nd(3)

1st (2)

Diploma

Masters

Honours

Adv. Univ dipl

CONSTRAINTS AND CHALLENGES:

1. Limited Accessibility to extension training

2. Lack of specialisation

3. Derailment and marginalisation of Extension

4. No clear extension and extension training policy

5. Lacking Knowledge Support System

6. Low credibility

7. Conflicting norms and outcomes in education and training

8. Career path for extension

9. Scarce human resources