The Role of Problem Specification Workshops in Extension: An IPM Example
John Wilson Foster, Geoff Norton, Elaine Brough · Journal of Extension · 1995
Three idealized models of the Extension process are reviewed. The first model involves top-down technology transfer from researchers to farmers. The second is a farmer first approach, which emphasizes the important role that farmers play in formulating research agendas. The third model is a participatory approach involving researchers, farmers, and other stakeholders. The participatory model is explored with special reference to problem specification workshops for addressing complex pest management issues. The successful use of these workshops by the Cooperative Research Centre for Tropical Pest Management, in Australia, is discussed by way of a case study on the biological control agent Trichogramma.