1. Farm and Home visit
It is a face-to-face type of individual contact by the extension worker with the farmer and/or the members of his family on the latter’s farm or at his home for one or more specific purposes connected with extension.Objectives or Purposes
- Obtain and/or give first hand information on matters relating to farm and home conditions.
- Give advice or otherwise assist to solve a specific problem; or to teach skills.
- Arouse the interest of those not reached by other methods.
- Select local leaders, demonstrators or co-operators.
- Promote good public relations.
- Otherwise contribute to strengthening the extension organization or facilitate extension programme.
Principles or procedure to be followed
1. Decide upon the place of the farm and home visit in the teaching plan outlined to advance a particular phase of the extension programme.
a. Consider alternative methods which might be employed.
b. Decide whether the visits are primarily for direct teaching or are needed to increase the effectiveness of group methods and mass media.
2. Clarify the purpose of the visit – Which of the purposes mentioned above are expected to be achieved by the visit?
3. Plan the visit:
a. Review previous contacts with members of family.
b. Check subject matter information likely to be needed - leaflets or bulletins etc.
c. Workout schedule of visits in the community to save time.
d. Remote and unfrequented farms and homes should always be kept in view.
e. Consider best approach in view of individual family situation.
4. Make the visit:
a. Punctuality and consideration for the time of the farmer should always be borne in mind. Contact the man preferably when he is on the job: e.g.; discuss about improved plough when he is ploughing.
b. Be friendly, sympathetic and complimentary.
c. Gain and deserve interviewee’s confidence.
d. Let the farmer do most of the talking.
e. Speak only when he is willing to hear.
f. Talk in terms of his interest.
g. Use natural and easy language, speak slowly and cheerfully.
h. Be accurate in your statements.
i. Don’t prolong arguments.
- Using natural and easy language with appropriate local dialects
- Visiting the remote areas and people hitherto untouched
- Reminding the farmers about the recommendation by different ways of repetitions as a reinforcement technique.
- Be prepared to have some specimens, literature, seed samples etc., so that it can be supplied to the farmers, if need be.
- Review previous contacts
- Visit a cross section of farmers so that the favoritism may be avoided.
2. Field Trial
This is the first stage which any new improved variety of seed, fertilizer, pesticide or any new practice for that matter, must pass through, before it is taken to the stage of result demonstration or method demonstration and before advocating its large scale adoption. This is not an Extension Method in the strict sense of the term. However, the need of sort of adaptive research as a prerequisite for successful extension work has been widely recognized. So, it is essential for extension workers to understand the important features of this method. It must be remembered that unlike trial plots which are laid out systematically to satisfy the requirements for statistical analysis, the observation plots are designed to give rough and ready, nevertheless, reliableindications about the performance of a new variety or practice. In the case of Minikit trials the small sized observation plots are laid out simultaneously in a wide geographical area comprised ofseveral agro climatic zones.
Field Trial: It is a method by which the suitability or other wise of a new practice to a given locality under farmer’s conditions, is determined.
The new practice may mean (i) the introduction of a practice not existing hitherto; e. g.
planting sesbania along paddy field bunds or (ii) the introduction of an improvement over local practice; e. g., replacing cultivation of open pollinated maize with hybrid maize, or (iii) replacing an already established improved practice with a more improved new practice; e. g., Adonicum cotton replacing Laxmi cotton which had replaced H1 cotton earlier. The new practice may be a varietal, manurial or cultural improvement, or a combination oftwo or more of these types of improvement.
- To test the performance under ryots’ conditions, of a new practice, this has been found to be promising on a research station.
- To avoid possible losses to farmers and consequent loss of their confidence in extension due to large scale introduction of new practices without prior observations on a small scale.
- To build the confidence of both the extension worker and the farmer in the utility as well as feasibility of a new practice.
Principles or Procedure to be followed
- Determine the need for arranging the observation plot i.e., whether there is a prima facie case for undertaking the trial, taking local conditions into consideration.
- Be clear about the specific purpose of the trial.
- Select about six representative centres in your jurisdiction for conducting the trial.
- In these centres, select the co-operators in consultation with the local farmers.
- It is desirable to select as co-operators for this purpose; such farmers who have confidence in extension and who also can afford to take the risk of possible failures (in rare instances).
- Select in the co-operator’s holding an average field, representative of the tract (i.e.neither neither too rich nor too poor) and also easily accessible.
- Make it clear to the co-operator and to the other farmers that it is a trial or a rough and ready experiment only, and not a demonstration plot.
- It is important that all operations right from preparatory cultivation to harvesting, threshing and weighing are done under the personal supervision of the extension worker.
- Restrict the size of the “control” and “treated” strips to the minimum possible, so as to
have a large number of replications. - Visit the plot as frequently as possible and record on the spot, your observations regarding the relative performance of “control”, and “treatment” in the three phases, viz. vegetative phase (growth, tillering etc.,) flowering stage (late, early, uniform, uneven etc.,) and harvesting stage (uniform or uneven ripening, late or early, lodging or non-lodging, shedding or non-shedding etc.)
- Accurate records should be maintained, showing the dates of important operations, the yields per acre, the cost of production, the net income per acre, and other relevant observations.
- The average performance of the new practice should be observed for at least three seasons consecutively, before you think of recommending it for large scale adoption. (This time lag is minimized in the case of minikit Trial.)
Advantages
1. Avoids the pitfalls of hasty recommendation and/or adoption of new practices.
2. Constitutes the first step towards the spread of a new practice after thorough testing.
3. Obviates the technicalities, difficulties, and delays involved in laying out regular trial plots, and analyzing the results statistically.
4. Builds confidence of the extension and research workers on the one hand and of the farmers on the other, in the utility and feasibility of a new practice.
Limitations
1. Makes heavy demand on the time and energy of extension worker.
2. Seasonal failures delay the assessment of the worth of a new practice, leading to consequent delay in its adoption.
3. Difficult to secure suitable co-operators sometimes.
4. Risk of failure of a new practice resulting in financial loss to the co-operating farmer.
5. Conclusions may not always be unassailable because of the lack of statistical analysis of the data.
3. Result Demonstration
A result demonstration is a method of teaching designed to show by example the practical application of an established fact, or group of related facts. In other words, it is a way of showing people the value or worth of an improved practice whose success has already been established on the research station, followed by district trials or observation plots.
In this method the new practice is compared with the old one on ryot’s holdings so that the villagers may see and judge the results for themselves. Such demonstration requires a substantial period of time and records need to be maintained. It is in no sense an experiment or a trial except perhaps in the mind of the co-operator (demonstrator).
The result demonstration may (i) deal with a Single practice, such as the use of improvedstrains of paddy seed; or (ii) it may be concerned with a series of related practices as in the case of Japanese method of paddy cultivation; or (iii) in some instances it may include the entire farm, as in the case of balanced farming. (i.e. Whole Farm Demonstration). The result demonstration may be (i) varietal (ii) manurial (iii) cultural (iv) combination of two or more of the afore-said three types, or (v) Composite demonstration in which all the essential improved practices in respect of any crop are included as a package of improved practices.
Principles of result demonstrations
There are two common sense principles underlying this method.
(a) What a farmer himself does or sees, he will believe.
(b) What is good for one person will have general application to others (under similar conditions).
Objectives or Purposes
1. To show the utility and feasibility of a recommended practice under village conditions.
2. Chiefly to establish confidence on the part of the farmer as well as the extension teacher.
Procedure
1. Analyse situation and determine need: (Determine the place of the result demonstration in your teaching plan)
(a) Is it necessary to establish further confidence in local application of research findings
and results of observation plots?
(b) What has been the experience of the extension worker in guiding the carrying out of the practice under similar conditions?
(c) Is it possible to locate good illustration of the practice locally, obviating the necessity of expensive result demonstrations?
(d) Is the need for result demonstration felt by the farmers?
2. Decide upon specific purpose
(a) Which particular audience should have the learning experience?
(b) What specifically do you want them to learn?
(c) Is it to give confidence to the extension worker and provide him with teaching material?
(d) Is it to establish confidence of farmer in the new practice?
(e) Is it to develop confidence in extension on the part of a community or of a minority group with whom extension worker is not known well and favourably?
3. Plan the result demonstration
(a) Consult subject matter specialist.
(b) Make as simple and clear-cut as possible. (The more complex the demonstration, the greater the difficulty in evaluating the results attributable to each of the practices involved.)
(c) Decide upon evidence needed and how local proof will be established.
(d) Determine number of demonstrations needed to accomplish purpose.
(e) Locate sources of material.
(f) Reduce plans to writing (calender of operations etc.)
4. Select demonstrators
(a) Consult with local leaders and select a demonstrator who commands the confidence and respect of his neighbours, and who is interested in improving his practices.
(b) Visit the prospective demonstrator to make sure that all conditions for success of demonstration are favourable.
(c) The demonstrator should be conscious of his responsibility for the successful completion of the demonstration and its effect upon the community.
(d) The demonstrator should be willing for the demonstration to be used for teaching purposes such as publicity; pictures, meetings, tours and personal enquiries.
(e) The demonstrator should have to secure the necessary physical equipment, supplies and materials to carry the demonstration to a successful conclusion.
(f) Explain and agree upon procedure with demonstrator and leave written instructions preferably.
5. Select the plot
(a) The plot should be located preferably in a roadside field for easy accessibility and publicity.
(b) The field should be representative or typical of the soils in the village (neither too rich
nor too poor).
6. Start the demonstration
(a) Give wide publicity before starting the demonstration.
(b) Get all the materials ready.
(c) Start the demonstration in the presence of the villagers.
(d) Assist in getting the demonstration under way to make certain that the omission of some key point will not make later work fruitless.
(e) Arrange for a method demonstration meeting where a skill may be involved in the beginning stage of demonstration, or later.
(f) Make the demonstration plots with large signs, so that all can see.
7. Supervise the demonstration
(a) Visit the demonstration plot with sufficient frequency to maintain demonstrator’s interest, check on progress, and see that succeeding steps are performed as outlined.
(b) Maintain records and assist the demonstrator also in keeping proper records.
(c) Give publicity to the demonstration and the farmer at suitable stages.
(d) Conduct tours to successful demonstrations at proper times.
(e) Let the demonstrator himself explain to visitors, as far as possible.
(f) Mention in news stories, circular letters, radio talks etc. at critical stages.
8. Complete the demonstration
(a) See that final steps to complete the demonstration are taken.
(b) Take photographs.
(c) Hold meetings at demonstration where visual evidence will contribute to confidence.
(d) Summarise records. Analyse and interpret data.
9. Follow-up
(a) Give wide publicity to results of demonstration.
(b) Encourage demonstrator to report at meetings.
(c) Prepare visual aids based on the results of demonstration.
(d) Get other farmers to agree to demonstrate during the next season.
Advantages
1. Gives the extension worker extra assurance that recommendation is practical and furnishes local proof of its advantages.
2. Increases confidence of farmers in extension worker and his recommendations.
3. Useful in introducing a new practice.
4. Contributes to discovery of local leaders.
5. Provides teaching material for further use by extension worker.
Limitations
1. Requires lot of time and preparation on the part of extension worker.
2. A costly teaching method.
3. Difficult to find good demonstrators who will keep records.
4. Teachings value frequently destroyed by unfavorable weather and other factors.
5. Few people see the demonstration at the stage when it is most convincing.
6. Unsuccessful demonstrations may undermine the prestige of Extension, and entail loss of confidence.
4. Office calls
- Office room should have a mini-information centre
- An alternative technical person must be made available in the absence of the extension worker
- Sincere interest must be shown in the visitor's problem.
- Direction sign to extension office must be visible to the farmers.