Professional and Personal Transformation of Extension Workers through Nonformal Agricultural Education Reform

Esbern Friis-Hansen, Edward Taylor, Deborah Duveskog

Abstract


The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of agricultural extension non-formal education reforms (1998-2013) in Uganda among extension workers, who were required them to change from a top-down to more participatory educational approach with farmers. While extension reform has been subject to several studies, little is known about the professional and personal transformative effects of such reforms on staff. A major challenge for the extension staff to adapt to is the shift as their role and actions became more accountable to farmers. Extension workers were found to experience disorientating dilemma in terms of being both accountable to and sharing decision-making with farmers. At the personal level, the study found that the change in the relationship between extension workers and farmers also had an impact on the household gender relations of the extension workers.


Keywords


Agricultural extension reforms, Uganda, teacher development, transformative learning.

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