Institutional Factors Driving Participation of Marginalized Section(s) in Livestock Extension Programs in Tamil Nadu

Livestock plays an important role in livelihood of small and marginal farmers with 5.47 per cent of state GDP (Gross domestic product) and one of the primary sources of employment to marginalized section(s) of rural Tamil Nadu. This study was undertaken to identify the factors driving participation of marginalized section(s) in livestock extension programs in Tamil Nadu. The study was conducted in Tamil Nadu from February 2020 to September 2021 at Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, India. Primary data was collected from the selected sample of 23 extension centres using structured questionnaire in google form and secondary data was collected from the Directorate of Extension Education, TANUVAS for the period of 2017 to 2019. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, chi-square and Mann-Whitney U test) were used to analyze the data. The results revealed that better staff availability in the centre and higher proportion of off-campus programs significantly influenced the inclusiveness of marginalised sections in overall extension programmes. Furthermore, improving transport facilities through mobility innovations such as pooling of transport and hiring models during on-campus programmes may facilitate better participation / inclusion level of marginalised sections.

Participatory Development of Demand-Driven Curriculum for Career-Ready E-Extension Services in Nigeria

This paper described and contextualized participatory development of demand-driven curriculum for career-ready e-extension services in Nigeria as introduced by the Sasakawa Africa Fund for Extension Education. The stages of participatory development were participatory need assessment, participatory stakeholders’ workshop and validation among 124 stakeholders selected as key informants in relation to agricultural extension training, delivery, end users and policy makers. The stakeholders were grouped as follows: community leaders and policy makers; extension agencies / organisations / institutions / employers; farmers; input suppliers / marketers / agro-based traders / other value actors; and potential candidate groups. Stakeholder meetings were held separately with different groups three times, and then a combined meeting took place. The aggregated major decisions/consensus were subjected to content analysis using ATLAS.ti. The validation process included reading of each agreed decision to all participants, then participants indicated their agreement or otherwise, which led to either rejection or acceptance of the decision. This paper concludes that participatory curriculum development has enhanced the stakeholders to identify areas of demand-driven training in response to community needs. The stakeholders preferred more online than face-to-face training. The major perceived advantages of e-extension were reduced risk, time and cost effectiveness while infrastructural and human challenges were the perceived challenges that could possibly hinder the smooth running of e extension.

Changing Farmers' Perception towards Sustainable Horticulture: A Case Study of Extension Education in Farming Community in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Applying sustainable horticulture as an innovation in The Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY) Indonesia can be a commendable example in agricultural extension education. Previous research has revealed that understanding farmers' perceptions of innovation is essential for appropriate interventions to change their behavior. In DIY, the surveys were conducted in 2016 with 257 males and 93 females of farmers groups member from 21 villages in Sleman, Bantul, and Kulonprogo Regency. The objective of the survey was to determine the effects of farmer's internal factors on the perception of ecological, social economy, and ethical (ESE) urgency as a component of sustainable horticulture practices. The findings from the ecological, social, and ethical dimensions among the farming community in DIY indicated that, directly and indirectly, the farmers can acknowledge and practice sustainable horticulture. However, this was altering several factors, most notably, motivation and the prospect of increased income. The important thing in extension work was motivation, and a major motivating factor was the possibility of increased agricultural income. This study suggests that extension education of achieving horticultural sustainability in DIY should be based on the motivation of farmers and thoughtfulness of their basic needs especially needs to have higher income.

Improving Extension Curriculum Design Using Learner-Centered Templates

Extension professionals’ use of learner-centered instructional practices can maximize engagement and more effectively address expressed needs within their diverse communities. The Outcome-Based Extension Education Design and Facilitating Teaching and Learning templates enable educators to effectively implement curricula that identify context-specific learner needs, activities that increase learner engagement, and assessment tasks that gather evidence of essential knowledge construction and skills development. Using these two practical tools, Extension professionals can streamline the creation of compelling and efficacious programs that focus on the intended learning outcomes.

Aquaponics Systems: Future Food Production System

Aquaculture being the important source of global animal protein, is the potential food production sector. The ever increasing population worldwide, urbanization, human activities, environmental degradation, social and economic problems drive the need for new, innovative and improved solutions for food production. One pioneering approach that promises to address these problems is Aquaponics. Aquaponics is the integration of recirculatory aquaculture system and hydroponics in one production system. An aquaponic system is established at Fisheries Research Station, Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University, Undi, Bhimavaram, West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, India. The future purpose of our study is finding an optimized solution for the Aquaponics systems to produce qualitative (organic) and quantitative food with low production cost, conservation of water efficiently and eco-friendly. This study has covered the designs, theoretical and practical concepts of Aquaponics, ideal conditions, management strategies, compatible aquacultural and horticultural varieties and concept of balancing the unit. This publication will be a supplemental hand out for outreach, extension, education and further research.

Towards intercultural competence: Using consensus to identify essential personality traits for an inclusive extension education workforce

The rapid diversification of workforces and client stakeholder groups has prompted a growing emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion as a critical component of professional development across industry sectors. While the proliferation of intercultural competence training models has increased awareness among employers and workforces, the competencies advocated in these models may not always be relevant to an organization or institution’s operational context. This study addresses the need for contextually grounded intercultural competency models targeted to extension education contexts. Using a three-phased Delphi approach, data were gathered from a panel of 36 intercultural competency experts. The panel identified nine personal traits thought to be critical for the recruitment and development of culturally competent extension educators. The authors explain how these results may be used to recruit extension educators with traits conducive to engagement with a broad audience of stakeholders using culturally sensitive and responsive techniques. Given the distinct processes by which different components of intercultural competence are developed, we recommend specific measures and techniques administrators can utilize to recruit and develop extension educators who possess the agreed-upon intercultural personality traits.

170 Effectiveness of On-line Webinars for Delivering Extension Education to Beef Producers Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all in-person Extension programs in Kentucky were canceled in March 2020. In order to continue reaching beef producers, a webinar series was developed. The initial series was eight weekly evening sessions. Sessions were streamed live on a video meeting and social media platform and were recorded for future viewing. Programs consisted of a presentation followed by a question-and-answer session, covering multi-disciplinary topics related to beef management. Following each session, participants were asked to complete a survey to gauge the effectiveness of the programs using a series of questions with responses on a 5-point Likert scale. The average number of responses was 17 and ranged from 4–31 respondents per session. Knowledge level before and after the presentation was asked for a given topic to assess the increase in subject awareness/understanding (1: not very knowledgeable; 5: very knowledgeable). The average response across all respondents (n = 138) for pre-program knowledge was 2.98, and the average response post-program was 4.37. This represented a 46.6% change across all topics covered in the post-attendance surveys. The most common age demographic represented by survey respondents was 50–59 years of age, and 84% of respondents reported previously participating in a webinar. Participants were asked to evaluate the webinar technology in terms of its ease of access (1: not very easy; 5: very easy), and the average response was 4.64. Participants were asked to evaluate the material presented in each session for its usefulness (1: not very useful; 5- very useful), and the average response was 4.71. When asked if the webinar was an effective use of time (1: not very useful; 5: very useful), the average response was 4.8. Overall, webinars were an effective means of delivering Extension education related to beef cattle management in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

362 Summary of North Carolina Small Ruminant Producer Performance Record Collection Questionnaire

Growing interest and demand for small ruminant production in the Southeastern United States has garnered the need for improved productivity and greater Extension education programs. To better understand North Carolina small ruminant producer performance record collection, a needs assessment questionnaire was conducted. An online questionnaire was sent to sheep and goat producers via Extension email lists and state producer organizations. Producers were given nine weeks to respond to the survey and provided three email reminders. All responses were anonymous. The survey reached approximately 1200 producers. Of those, 131 agreed to the consent form, indicated they owned sheep and/or goats, and completed subsequent questions. A portion of respondents did not answer all questions. Of the 76 goat producers, 75.0% had 25 or less mature breeding females. Of the 75 sheep producers, 58.7% had 25 or less mature breeding females. Twenty producers had both sheep and goats. The portion of producers recording birth (62.6%) and rear (42.7%) type data on their entire flock was numerically greater than those recording birth (29.0%) and weaning (16.8%) weights on their entire flock. In terms of FAMACHA scores, 19.8% record data on their entire flock compared to 41.2% that record some data and 22.1% with no records. 45.8% of producers indicated no fecal egg count (FEC) records with 27.5% recording some FEC data. In terms of genetic selection tools, 41.2% of producers had not heard of estimated breeding values (EBVs) compared to 39.7% that indicated a basic understanding and 3.8% that use EBVs. This aligns with the 44.3% of producers that have not heard of the National Sheep Improvement Program and 38.2% that have a basic understanding. These data indicate the need for greater collection of performance records and participation in genetic evaluation programs among small ruminant producers in North Carolina.