Agricultural extension capacity development in developing countries: an international training course at Michigan State University

ABSTRACT

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to share the initiatives of development and offering of an International Agricultural Extension training course by Michigan State University Extension (MSUE). MSUE is a global leader in agricultural research, education, and extension and actively shares knowledge and technologies worldwide.

Design/Methodology/Approach

Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, this in-person course rapidly transformed to an online one-week short course for global participants working in agricultural extension.

Findings

There is a great demand for developing extension expertise and advisory services in line with the emergence of new tools and technologies. The use of ICT was at the forefront in sharing knowledge and disseminating technologies.

Practical Implications

Several participants were interested in organising similar courses in their institutions and piloting some of the programmes that they learned.

Theoretical Implication

The short course designed and offered during 2020 will be further enhanced and offered with a focus on outcome and responses received through a separate survey.

Originality/Value

This paper focuses on the training and capacity building of the agricultural extension workers from developing countries and the US land-grant model of agricultural extension shared by MSUE.

KEYWORDS:

• Agricultural extension
• outreach
• training
• capacity building
• international partnerships

Introduction

Agricultural extension is an instrument of change; it enables farmers and communities to seek and adopt desirable changes in farming and farming-related practices and services. Agricultural extension focuses on improvements in technology and information transfer, leading to human resources development and the empowerment of stakeholders (Van den Ban and Samanta 2006). This requires extension professionals contributing not only content knowledge, but also methods for conceiving, developing, and delivering the content to the farmers and end-users. Dissemination of agricultural information and technologies to farmers and end users has been practised for many decades. Extension, community outreach, and advisory services play a vital role in transferring new knowledge to farmers and communities.

For the last five decades, national governments and international development agencies have supported and implemented numerous extension models and programmes to support farmers and communities. In the developing world, supporting agricultural extension services have provided advisory services and support which have helped millions of smallholder farmers. The organisation of training and capacity-building programmes for agricultural extension personnel is critical as the demand for specialists and experts in these areas is growing rapidly worldwide and yet often developing countries do not have adequate agricultural extension and outreach capacities.

The importance of extension and the need for strengthening agricultural extension

Agricultural sectors are growing worldwide. Advances in technologies and new crop management practices have created stronger demands for skilled agricultural extension specialists to guide producers towards best practices through science-based production methods. In developed countries agricultural extension systems are better organised to serve local farmers and communities. They have better local infrastructure, expertise, resources, connections to research scientists, and strong partnerships with farmers and farmer organisations. Also, local extension professionals have technical training related to the needs of local farmers, whereas in developing countries the infrastructure may not be sufficient to directly access farmers and develop the needed educational materials. Also, a generalist approach towards agricultural extension is still often observed and local extension staff may not have the background or expertise to provide the needed assistance to farmers.

Globally, farmers are not all the same; they differ in their education levels and their ability to access resources and markets. They also vary in their interest in and willingness to seek support from extension specialists and advisors. The emerging digital tools for information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the Internet of Things are providing tremendous opportunities for improving agricultural extension and advisory services.

The strengthening of capacities of human resources and institutional development in agriculture extension services are evolving in many countries. Currently, the development of agricultural extension systems and services is growing in priority in many countries. As the agricultural sector evolves from subsistence to a market-driven system, the demand for advisory services and up-to-date knowledge in agriculture also evolves. Capturing such demand-driven opportunities, several private companies, cooperative organisations, non-governmental organisations, and civil society organisations have shown interest in developing their own agricultural extension advisory services, programmes, and activities.

The role of agricultural extension specialists in many countries has now become specialised, as the knowledge and skill sets required for different crops and commodities vary. Crop- and commodity-specific extension specialists and experts are in high demand and this demand is growing worldwide. In many countries, private extension specialists and advisors have a fee-based farm consultation business and crop-specific advisory services. However, owing to the increased demand for such expertise, demand is exceeding supply and the lack of skilled human resources is a big concern (Rivera 2008).

Michigan State University’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources designed and offered a one-week short course in International Agricultural Extension to share the experience and best practices from the US Land Grant model of extension with the international community from 3 to 7 August 2020. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, this one-week course took the form of a blended online course combining asynchronous coursework with synchronous sessions and discussions. Twenty-one participants from developing countries participated in this virtual course.

Land Grant University model of agricultural extension: case study of Michigan State University Extension

Michigan State University (MSU) was founded in 1855 as an Agricultural College of the State of Michigan in the US. In 1914, the US Congress established the Cooperative Extension System through the Smith–Lever Act, making MSU Extension the longest-established university extension system in the US.

In its early years, MSU Extension focused on offering agricultural extension advocacy and services throughout the state of Michigan to farmers and entrepreneurs, on various topics. Since then, it has expanded into many other related areas inside and outside agriculture, including health and nutrition, youth development, agribusiness, entrepreneurship and finance, community development, and local and state government policy. MSU Extension brings translational science into communities, creating research-based programming for communities via its 600-plus faculty and staff members throughout the state of Michigan. MSU Extension has a global vision and wishes to share its expertise to develop human capacities internationally, also learning from other countries’ extension systems.

MSU Extension is organised both topically and by geographic regions covering the state of Michigan. There are 14 geographic districts and four institutes, which are organised by subject matter and content area. Each district has a district director, and each institute has a director and an associate director (Dwyer and Maredia 2021). The outreach specialists most frequently work within one institute, but also may work, support, and interact across multiple institutes. Thus, in one district, there are employees that report to different institutes, with different content-area expertise. MSU Extension has four major institutes (Madan and Maredia 2021):

• the Agriculture and Agribusiness Institute;

• the Children and Youth Institute;

• the Community, Food and Environment Institute;

• the Health and Nutrition Institute.

Materials and methods

Our approach to the design of an international short course

International training, capacity building, and outreach are hallmarks of Michigan State University (Weir and Maredia 2006). MSU Extension’s model of agriculture extension and outreach is recognised globally. The national governments from many countries reach out to MSU Extension for guidance and information in building their national and regional agriculture extension systems. Currently, MSU Extension is offering its expertise and working with universities and national agricultural extension institutions in South Asia, South-East Asia, and Central Asian countries. Learning from the experience and the growing global demand for agricultural extension expertise, knowledge, and advisory services, MSU Extension has developed a one-week annual short course for training agricultural extension personnel globally.

Initially, this one-week short course was conceptualised as in-person training on the MSU campus. However, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the team offered this course through a virtual/online mode for global audiences working in agricultural extension. A short course brochure was designed and shared with MSU’s global partners and other international stakeholders in public and private sectors working in agricultural extension and advisory services. An online course registration system was used.

Since this short course was offered online and participants from different countries were in various time zones, synchronous meetings were scheduled for early morning times in Michigan, which were late afternoon or evening for most participants. Participants from nine countries participated in the online short course. These participants represented faculties teaching extension courses at agricultural universities and national agricultural extension institutions, an agricultural community leader, an entrepreneur, a national and state government official working in agricultural extension, and a researcher, all from developing countries. The course used the Desire2Learn course management and virtual platform for live video conferences. Course participants actively contributed to rich discussions and shared their experiences on their current programmes within in their countries, resulting in participants learning not just from the US model of extension, but also from each other.

Components of the international short course programme

This course was designed and developed to share the MSU’s land-grant model of agricultural extension with the global extension personnel and programme leaders. The course components were selected based on their relevance to an international audience and to show breadth and variety in programming topics and extension and outreach approaches. The course content included:

• the structure, funding, and management of the MSU Extension system;

• best practices and models for providing advisory services in field crops, fruits, and vegetable production;

• linking farmers to markets;

• empowering youth;

• handling farm stress;

• reaching farmers using ICT and technologies;

• managing and diagnosing pests;

• improving soil health;

• managing animal health;

• supporting food and agriculture-related entrepreneurships and agribusinesses;

• leadership development;

• developing and supporting entrepreneurs; and

• overviews of extension models globally (participant-led).

MSU Extension educators, specialists, and faculty members from MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources delivered presentations and moderated discussions on the above selected topics and shared their experiences with the course participants. Pre-course work for the topics allowed for deeper exploration of the content and allowed more time during the synchronous sessions to be dedicated to interactive discussions. Electronic copies of all the presentations and video recordings of all the sessions were provided to the participants.

We chose a flipped model, with self-paced prework preceding each live meeting, for both pedagogical and practical reasons. Including a portion of the content as self-paced and asynchronous aligns well both with the logistical needs of those balancing work and coursework and with best practices in adult learning.

Logistically, reaching learners in different time zones creates scheduling challenges which are alleviated by a flipped model. The prework can be completed in about 30–60 min daily at any time for scheduling flexibility. Prework varies in format, including readings, videos, discussion threads, and interactive modules authored in Articulate Storyline. This variance was deliberate to accommodate different learning preferences. Providing self-access materials also aids comprehension for learners who speak English as a second language; materials can be viewed and read at their own pace, allowing for deeper comprehension and providing a scaffold for the live content and discussions which follow.

Adult learners need to feel self-directed and be seen by others as such. They want to take responsibility for their own learning and feel like it is a choice (Knowles, Holton, and Swanson 2010). The format of this course allows for this, and the inclusion in each chapter of external materials which learners can choose to dig into on their own further supports this practice of self-direction and autonomy in learning.

Result

Course evaluation and feedback from the international participants

After the course completion, participants completed an anonymous online programme evaluation. The objective of the course evaluation was to learn participants’ perception of the course content, delivery method, presenters, time allotment for presentations and discussion, scheduling on synchronous sessions, and interest in future virtual events and other collaborative programmes in agricultural extension. In inquiring which topics they found to be the most useful, participants reported that the Land Grant Institution model of agricultural extension, 4-H and youth development, and farm stress were the most useful topics. The other sessions which were also considered useful included MSU Extension’s practices on field, vegetable, and fruit crops, and the linking of farmers to markets. Participants found experiences shared by other participants from their countries’ extension systems very useful (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Response of the participants on the course content.

Since asynchronous aspects of this course were offered through the Desire2Learn platform, we wanted to know whether the prework on the content of each session was useful and if the participants completed it. The feedback shows that majority of the participants completed some or all of the pre-course work for each session (Table 1).

Table 1. Response from the participants on the contents of the course.

No.	Answer	Percentage	Count
1	About Extension and Land Grant Institutions	14.75	9
2	MSU Extension Field, Vegetable, and Fruit Crops	11.48	7
3	Soil Health	8.20	5
4	Pest Diagnostic Laboratory	3.28	2
5	Animal Health Team	1.64	1
6	MSU Water School and Program Planning	6.56	4
7	4-H and Youth Development	14.75	9
8	Linking Farmers to Markets	11.48	7
9	Learning about Extensions Worldwide (Friday sharing session)	8.20	5
10	Farm Stress	14.75	9
11	Product Centre and FPIC	4.92	3
	Total	100.01	61

Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, public health, and international travel restrictions, organising short courses virtually has become a necessity. The majority of working professionals have access to affordable internet, a computer, and smart phones, which make  delivery of and access to this virtual short course efficient. Our team did not face any problems with the use of distance educational technology or major challenges while delivering the short course content to the global extension professionals. Participants actively took part in discussions, sharing their experiences. On the last day of the programme each participant presented their country’s agricultural extension system. This allowed both participants and MSU Extension programme coordinators to learn more about developing countries’ agricultural extension systems and to identify needs for future capacity-building programmes. In addition, an excellent network of extension specialists was established for continued interactions and information sharing.

Participants were impressed to see how MSU extension specialists are deeply engaged in research, teaching, and advocating for Michigan farmers and communities in diverse sectors of agricultural development. Here are some of the feedback and remarks from the course participants expressed after the course completion.

The course was very educating, the method of training was awesome, it was participatory in nature and it gave room for more understanding. It brought about the experiences sharing as everyone was given a sense of belonging. I appreciate the organizers now and always because they exposed me to what I didn’t know before in agricultural extension. (Participant from Nigeria).

The training programme was comprehensive and included various activities and [the] discipline of agricultural Extension. The programme included new paradigms of agricultural Extension. The programme was highly interactive, and it enabled us to think new idea[s] in extension. The training programme was appropriately designed. (Participant from India)

MSU Extension’s Online International Short Course in Agricultural Extension was a blessing for me. It was a wonderful experience to learn about modern Agri Extension especially extension activities by MSUE. During the course period, we felt as [if] we were there at MSU although it was online. The contents of [the] course were enough to learn and the speakers tried their best to deliver in a good manner. The 4-H impressed me a lot and I wish to implement [it] in my department. (Participant from Pakistan)

I am so much privileged to be part of the Short Online Course in International Agriculture Extension offered by MSU Extension. This short course is very informative. Learning the different and similar Agricultural Extension Systems in different countries and how it works in their setting is helpful in improving and strengthening the extension system in the Philippines. (Participant from the Philippines)

Discussion

Agriculture extension is undergoing major changes in programme design and delivery, training, and the dissemination of timely evidence-based information to farmers. Advances in ICTs combined with the Internet of Things and social media, are making the agricultural extension and advisory services easily accessible and affordable to farmers. These tools offer enormous opportunities for stakeholders involved in the agricultural value chains from production to market access.

The historical top-down approach in agricultural extension is shifting to a more participatory approach with end-users helping to chart the direction of the extension programme. As agriculture in developing countries becomes more technical, there is a need for more information delivery from private agribusiness firms, public universities, and government research institutions. Furthermore, greater diversity in developing supply chains is leading towards strategic programme development and creating new partnerships. For agriculture systems to meet the needs of growing populations in developing countries, training, education, and capacity building remain critical. Both public and private organisations are expanding their capacities in human resource development to improve the agricultural sector in their countries. Public institutions may not be able to meet the growing need for extension workers and advisory specialists. In many countries, private extension advisors are needed to fill the gap to help support the agricultural sector. Sharing experiences between institutions, experts, and nations will help to improve agricultural extension services, leading to improved livelihoods and reduced poverty.

Geolocation information

This short course was offered virtually online by Michigan State University Extension and does not specify any geological locations.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sunil Madan

Mr Sunil Madan is an outreach specialist working with the South Asia Partnership Program in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) at Michigan State University (MSU). He is actively engaged in international outreach, coordination and programme development in science, education, and innovation in India and South Asian countries. He provides coordination support for the planning, implementation, and advancement of collaborative research, education, training, and faculty/student exchange programmes in the India and South Asia regions. He facilitates technology transfer activities between MSU and the public and private sectors in South Asia and another region of the world.

Anne Baker

Anne Baker began her career in adult education at MSU. After attending MSU for graduate school, she served as an academic specialist in MSU’s College of Arts and Letters for over 13 years in language and international education, focusing mostly on teacher training, language teaching, curriculum development, and higher education administration. She joined MSU Extension in 2017 in her current role as Learning and Talent Development Specialist, where she coordinates training efforts, oversees new staff onboarding, leads training on teaching and learning, works with international professional development projects, and develops and delivers training in online and face-to-face modes.

Karim Maredia

Dr Karim Maredia is a Professor and Senior Global Scholar in the CANR at MSU. He serves as the Director of the CANR International Programs and Director of World Technology Access (WorldTAP) Program. The WorldTAP is a training, capacity building, and technology transfer programme in the CANR at MSU. Dr Maredia has worked in numerous international development projects funded by the USAID, USDA, UN-FAO, World Bank, Rockefeller Foundation, Winrock International, and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He has published more than 70 papers and book chapters, and co-edited five books.

Ronald Bates

Ron Bates is the director of the MSU Extension Agriculture and Agribusiness Institute. He is also a professor in the MSU Animal Science Department where he focuses on swine genetics. He works closely with the MSU Extension educators to provide leadership on educational programmes relating to genetic programmes for commercial and seedstock producers, as well as the transition to housing sows in groups.