The South Society for Agricultural Extension, the primary professional society for agricultural extension in South Africa identified the need to provide current and potential agricultural professionals working in extension and rural development with NQF Level 5 and 6 technical qualifications (e.g. National Diploma in Agriculture, B Tech, B Agric., etc.) specialised training in extension to better enable them to engage appropriately with farmers and rural communities.
Similarly Municipalities implementing rural development strategies are in need of development officers with extension skills to facilitate the implementation of programmes such as the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Strategy.
The National Department of Agriculture, as outlined in its Norms and Standards for Extension and Advisory Services in Agriculture, identified significant gaps in training of the extension practitioners currently employed in the public sector. There is an urgent need for skills development as well as the acquisition of relevant extension qualifications among these workers.
The assumptions and the characteristics regarding the concept of extension and the underlying qualifications and standards regarding extension in South Africa are the following:
- Extension is recognised to be multi- and inter-disciplinary in nature. It overlaps largely with other behavioural sciences, which have the common purpose of understanding human behaviour, and in this regard it shares certain interests with disciplines like socio-psychology, anthropology, sociology, psychology, economics, adult education, etc.
However, because extension is an applied discipline it focuses not only on the understanding, but also on the change of behaviour.
To be effective in this regard the extension discipline borrows from or release heavily on any usable theories and models from the mentioned disciplines and thus can be termed an inter- or multi-discipline.
- Extension is a professional activity. This characteristic emphasis that:
> Extension originates from organisations with the explicit function to deliver an extension service and for which its personnel is specially trained.
> It calls for an understanding of the principles of behaviour and a situation.
> The application of appropriate behaviour intervention, which implies a sound background of the epistemology and the relevant and appropriate theories.
This qualification is aimed at recent graduates in agriculture and related fields, mid-career specialists in agriculture and related fields. However, although this qualification has its origins in the agricultural sector, the integrated and trans-disciplinary nature of agricultural and rural development in South Africa has expanded the applicability of the learning and training. Thus this qualification is aimed at learners who wish to enter or further their career in this field of activity and service and have gained prior qualification and/or experience in related sub-fields such as agriculture, rural enterprise development, community health, veterinary health, rural technology and engineering, etc. and who seek to augment those skills with skills enabling them to work more effectively with their clients.
The current landscape in the profession is highlighted by the following points:
- It is often the case that extension managers have no extension background.
- As conflict is endemic to development, conflict resolution skills are needed and yet are generally scarce among extension practitioners due to lack of formal training in this area.
- Agricultural and other technicians in the industry are effectively blocked from advancing to higher positions due to lack of relevant qualifications.
- To ensure sustainable development it is necessary to have theoretical frameworks in addition to the practical skills learned at lower NQF Levels.
This qualification can serve as a basis for post certification career development. Learners completing this qualification can (depending on their technical training) can be agricultural extension officers/advisors, rural development officers, community development officers, community extension officers, rural/agricultural development planners, and rural/ agricultural development managers. In this light, the qualification is particularly useful because, as noted above, in the current situation there are many managers of extension-based or extension-orientated development programmes who have the technical but not the extension training required to be fully competent in the job. This qualification will overcome this shortcoming and contribute significantly to enhancing the effectiveness of such development programmes.
Successful completion of this qualification allows for advancement to an NQF Level 7 qualifications in extension.
This qualification provides the opportunity to agricultural and other technicians in the industry to acquire and broaden their competencies that will expand the depth and sustainability of the impact of their work with clients.
Much of the work of extension centres on improving the livelihoods of clients - particularly among the rural poor and more recently among the peri-urban and urban poor. Officers working with this sector of society are often ill equipped with the knowledge and skills required to facilitate the learning and behaviour change processes required to ensure sustainable impact. To ensure sustainable development it is necessary to have the theoretical frameworks and practical skills and knowledge addressed in this qualification in addition to the practical skills learned at lower NQF Levels. Thus, learners completing this qualification can make a significant contribution to poverty alleviation and sustainable development.
Applying the learning from this qualification can further the participation and empowerment of clients/communities in development programmes which, again, increases the sustainability of specific development projects and programmes for improved and accelerated upliftment of their livelihoods.
As noted, extension promotes sustainable livelihoods - including entrepreneurship. The majority of its clients are disenfranchised, poor and black. Thus, this qualification, through the fostering of learning, development and related factors, extension contributes to the massification of Black Economic Empowerment.
This qualification will also make extension practitioners ore relevant to stakeholders and will improve the scientific approach to development.
Finally, one of the key challenges facing the land reform programmes in South Africa is ensuring that land recipients can use the land effectively, productively, profitably and sustainably. Extension is designed to contribute to realising these ends.
The following role-players and stakeholders who would benefit from this qualification include:
- Farmers, farm workers.
- Rural communities.
- Departments of Agriculture (National and Provincial).
- Agricultural Research Council.
- Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.
- Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF).
- Social and Economic cluster departments.
- Community Based Organisations (CBO)s).
- Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
- Faith-based organisations.
- Universities, Agricultural Colleges.
- Local Governments.
- Private sector (e.g. producer organisations, cooperatives, technical service providers).
This qualification specifically supports the national initiatives of the National Department of Agriculture as explained in the following strategic documents:
- National Education and Training Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development in South Africa - Department of Agriculture 2005.
- Norms and Standards for Extension and Advisory Services in Agriculture - Department of Agriculture June 2005.
- The Strategic Plan for South African Agriculture - Department of Agriculture 2003.
This qualification more generally supports the following national initiatives:
- Land reform initiatives and programmes.
- Black economic empowerment.
- Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Strategy.
This qualification directly contributes to the NQF objectives of redress and personal development. As noted earlier, extension reaches the disenfranchised. Its specific purpose is to bring to and help those without to engage with and develop technologies. It is, in itself a learning programme. As alluded to It will have particular effect in agriculture where the vast majority of South Africans have been denied access to the benefits of farming not only due to no access to land, but access to the skills needed to use that land productively and profitably.
