FOREST EXTENSION-BASICS OF FOREST EXTENSION
Introduction
Forest extension has so many definitions as expressed by different individuals and institutions. According to FAO, “Extension should be regarded as a process of integrating indigenous and derived knowledge, attitudes and skills to determine what is needed, how it can be done, what local co-operation and resources can be mobilized and what additional assistance is available and may be necessary to overcome particular obstacles.” (FAO, 1, 1987). Forest extension has had a rapid transition over time, with major changes occurring on the delivery system; initially, extension officers would deliver free seedlings to the farmers and instruct them on how to plant and take care of them.
Today, forest extension has become more of interactive social activity with the forest extension officers trying to deliver what they know on the technical and professional front about tree growing while allowing the farmers to express their opinion on how they perceive the process and any necessary input they might deem necessary for addition or consideration. Forest extension has become more of an amalgamation of several factors; technical and professional knowledge, psychological and sociological dynamics, with the inclusion of institutional and political considerations.
But why Forest Extension?
- It is a way of helping the farmers change their attitudes towards solving their forestry problems to achieve both economic and physical realization as well as developing the rural setting at large.
- To foster good relationships between the rural community, government and NGOs by solving current forestry problem through information sharing and information exchange.
- It is a government and non-governmental strategy that will help increase the forest cover of a nation, e.g. the 10% forest cover in Kenya, a part of the Vision 2030 achievement.
Unfortunately, Forest Extension is an informal way of educating people and the trainer should be keen on how to deliver the information; failure to strategize well will lead to farmers getting bored and sleeping in the middle of the sessions. The best form of Forest extension service should be conducted through the Andragogy method where the farmers bring their experience and what they perceive to need while the trainer tries to bridge the gaps that accrue from the farmer’s knowledge on forestry farming.
When organizing or developing the Forest Extension delivery system, the field officer should be keen that every farmer participates and understands what is being discussed. They should consider all kinds of learners; the Active learners, who have dynamic participation and understand what they are doing. The reflective learners, who have to wait and see the results of others then start doing their trials. The theorizing learners, who just need to know the details of what they are being informed about and the experimental learners, who learn by participating in physical activities of the discussion.
The principles that define Forest Extension
Forest Extension in the third world countries is a little bit different from that exercised in developed nations. The differences occur due to various factors which include limited budgets, few Forest Extension personnel, limited resources….The major principles that will make Forest Extension yield results are but not limited:
- Forest Extension should work with the people and not for the people.
The people, the farmers, should own the program. Decision making should be left in the hands of the farmers with professional and technical inputs from the Extension Officers on facts, possible outcomes and alternatives. People should feel comfort in solving their problems on forest development rather than being imposed to adhere to particularly formulated routines. Positive results will always make the farmers feels like they own them, gives them confidence and will be comfortable supporting the program.
- There should be accountability(To both the program funders and to the farmers)
The technical team should be accountable in terms of finance and the outlined achievements. The achievements should not be measured on how much land has been covered but through the results of the program, which is measured by how the farmers understood and adopted the program inputs in their daily activities. There should be a change in the lifestyle and technical knowledge of the rural people.
The team should also accomplish all the mandated activities as per the outlaid policies, plans and guidelines by the institution they work for.
- It always comes to a two-way link.
Forest Extension will work if only the two parties exchange information. It does not work effectively if the extension officer transferences ideas and knowledge to the farmers while not receiving farmers’ ideas, suggestions and advice. Three key states will determine how the link will work either; when describing a problem to farmers, possible recommendations given for field trials and when the farmers themselves engage recommendations into real-time practice.
- Be ready to work with other rural development societies.
The rural setting has a lot of other service provider agencies that form a network. The extension would be just one of the aspect of service of the many socio-economic and political bodies seeking to better the lives of the rural society. These bodies might include; political institutions, support programs, e.g. credit provision firms, health institutions, learning institutions and the local community development organizations. All these groups will part in supporting the Forest Extension services in the target areas.
- Forest extension will consider different target groups.
In one particular region of the target, you will find farmers will large tracks of land and small ones, farmers with experience in forestry plantation service, others with no clue how to grow trees etc. All these will require the officer to prepare a program that will satisfy all the groups without delineating one.
How to disseminate Forest Extension services
Forest extension services will be executed using several methods of which the officer will provide appropriately for the target group; either visiting individual farmers, working with groups’, e.g. farmers’ societies and using the Mass program, e.g. Television and Radio programs.
Limitations faced by Forest Extension programs and officers
- Forest Extension services are not cheap. They require resources and huge budgets to accomplish the intended activities.it also expensive in terms of time consumed in the program. For any program, time spent is cash paid out.
- Mature and experienced staff to execute Forest Extension service are not easy to find. Most people prefer desk jobs which do not muck their shoes with mud or dirt.
- Sometimes, communities would prefer to respect informal wisdom that comes with age to the formal knowledge that is being conveyed by young officers.
- It is difficult to settle in one place for a while, as many groups would like their officers to work in different places at short intervals to cover more ground. Also, they need their young officers to gain experience and improve their careers.
- It is difficult to carry out Forest Extension service in politically unstable communities. It is a threat to the officers.
- It is difficult to mobilize people for Extension services without the help of the local authorities or the local farmer’s societies.
Project-based Extension
Most of the project-based extension services are based on technical assistance which will be inclusive of a formal commitment to reinforce the extension service. Tree Biotechnology Programme trust has been involved in several of these projects offering its extension services to various communities. Most of the project-based organization would involve a donor organization that support the project financially. These kinds of extension projects usually enjoy superior resources and more experienced staff compared to most of the ministry based extension services. They usually possess the following features;
- The extension service is usually confined into a particular delineated project region.
- The finances are commonly committed to a particular organization of technical novelty.
- The largest role is customarily given to the expert.
- To justify the use of the funds, the donor team opts for a separate project management unit that is in charge of supervision and accountability.
- If the project involves outside extension expertise, they will be assigned some local counterparts who will carry on the activities left behind after the project comes to an end.
Emerging/current trends in Forest Extension