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FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK

 

My dear readers of Journal of Extension Education,

A recent paper by Grains Research & Development Corporation, Australia had compared Agricultural Extension with Science communication and concluded that good science communication, like effective agricultural extension, comes down to developing relationships of trust (Metcalfe, 2018). Developing relationships of trust, particularly during face-to-face interactions with farmers, requires to:

 

* Actively listen to those we want to communicate with.

* Understand their perceptions, concerns and needs regarding the science we want to communicate.

* Recognize they have valuable knowledge to share.

* Invest the time in communication that is personal.

* Tell stories about people and their passions.

* Speak directly, distilling the science in a way that people can understand without compromising its integrity.

 

Similarly, Loizzo (2019) argues that the efforts, approaches, and terminology of science communication and extension education often overlap (See below).

 

In Science communication, we say...

In Extension, we say...

Target Audiences

Target Learners

Key Messages

Learning Objectives

Analytics/Tracking

Assessment/Evaluation

Behaviour Intention and Change

Behaviour Intention and Change

 

Besides possessing scientific knowledge and effective communication skills, the extension agents should also be capable of winning the trust. Trust in the advisory service providers is therefore essential to implementing change at the farm level, especially when dealing with complex issues such as facilitating climate change mitigation/adaptation.

This issue of JEE contains papers on diverse topics in extension education, which I hope, will be interesting and useful.

Do send your feedback on these papers to editorextension@gmail.com.

 

D PUTHIRA PRATHAP

JEE 32(2)

Chief Editor