A Comparative Study On Operational Models Of Agricultural Techniques Extension Organizations

Subject:A Comparative Study on Operational Models of Agricultural Technology Extension Organizations. Name: Sun yunshou. Adviser: Professor Wang dehai. Specialty: Crop Cultivation. Study Direction: Agricultural extension and management. College: College of Humanities and Development. Application date: April,2004.Taking the flower technology extension organizations of Wujin district in Jiangsu Province as an example, this paper described the characteristics of different operational models of extension organizations within flower enterprise , evaluated the different performances by comparison and impact study and finally put forward recommendations accordingly for further improvement.Through constructing the analytical framework of "Institutional Arrangement-Extension Behavior-Extension Performance", carrying out semi-structure interview, case study and comparison analysis, this paper compares and probes into different operational models of Techniques Popularization Organizations. The main conclusions of this paper are as follows:1) Strong Market Economy consciousnesses, vast profitable opportunities, forceful promotion by government are the key factors of internal impetuses in diversified development of flower enterprise extension organizations. These impetuses make the operational model of flower enterprise Technology extension organizations changed from single government-dominated style to the situation that diversified organizations coexist including government-leading, market-oriented and mixed style organizations.2) Government-dominated style organization is a traditional extension organization. In order to fulfill the agricultural policy objectives set by government, government-dominated Agricultural Technology Extension Stations rely on the vertical hierarchical organizations, providing farmers with technical training and guidance only limited in medium production phase. The operational model was not welcome by farmers since the services can't meet farmers' needs although it showed with relatively higher executive efficiency.3) Market-oriented style technology extension organizations such as "Corporations + Flower Producers", "Cooperative Organizations + Flower Producers", "Specialty Markets + Flower Producers" and "Vertical Integrated Flower Enterprise Techology Extension Organizations", provided services based on the farmer needs and also aimed at obtaining maximal profits from the services. The organization offers technical training, practical guidance to farmers in medium production but also in pre-production and post-production phases that meeting market demands, and are welcomed by flower producers.4) Science and Technology Enterprises Development Base of flower enterprise that mixed with Government leading and market oriented operational models in Flower production. It has two objectives: one of them is to lay the role of demonstration of technology to the public for commonweal affairs in certain extent and the other is to obtain the maximal profit for the Base. However, the conflict between two objectives affects the efficiency of the flower technology extension.It is recommended that a diversified Flower Enterprise Technology Extension Organizations System should be established at Wujin district in Jiangsu Province in which market-oriented operational model will be the key model and mixed style and government-leading style models will play accessorial roles in the system. In order to improve the efficiency of the extension system in flower enterprise development, the operational efficiency of market-oriented leading style organizations need to be improved; the management system of Science and Technology Enterprises Development Base of flower enterprise need to be innovated and the government-leading Agricultural and Forest Technology Extension Stations need to be reformed.