The MEC for North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Ms Desbo Mohono says the Department’s agricultural extension and advisory officers must enthusiastically be involved in the use of information and communication technology systems, to enable them to provide relevant support and advices to farmers. Mohono said this today while addressing about three hundred officers who attended the sixth Provincial Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services Conference held at Rustenburg, Orion Country Lodge.
Mohono urged officers to optimally use the Extension Suite Online, an internet based system designed for agricultural extension to access information relating to agriculture in broad, saying this will empower them to share scientific developments with farmers, thus helping them to improve production, income, and quality of life.
Appealing to extension officers to also use the Digital Pen, a tool introduced to ensure their accountability and visibility at farms, Mohono said this will discard the perceptions about the invisibility of extension officers, as this system digitally monitors and records the work done by extension officers on site.
“Your work is to focus on improving the welfare of smallholder farmers. Gone are the days when agricultural extension was viewed as a by-the-way service. Perform your duties enviously. Farmers out there are patiently awaiting our solid comeback,” maintained MEC Mohono.
One of the speakers, Professor Gustav Duvel of the University of Pretoria, told the conference that one way of ensuring that the service provided through Extension is relevant and valuable, is to fully exploit the strengths of the commodity approach for Extension. “This approach should be part of the Province’s Agricultural Extension policy,” said Prof Duvel.
The 3-day conference is attended by amongst others experts in the agricultural extension profession from institutions of higher learning, representatives from the Provincial Planning Commission, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and stakeholders in the agricultural sector.
The conference that is dubbed “Towards a professional extension and advisory services that contributes to North West Province’s economic growth and development, will during the next two days, see attendants deliberating on amongst others, the challenges and opportunities facing extension in the "province, skills development for extension, and the use of internet and social media in extension and rural development.
To give meaning to the conference that will end of Friday, 22 November, agricultural extension and advisory officers are expected to put together a practical, measurable and tangible programme of action that should be implemented.
Enquiries:
Bonolo Mohlakoana (Ms)
Cell: 082 901 2435
Tel: 018 389 5719
E-mail: bmohlakoana@nwpg.gov.za or mohlakoana.bonolo@gmail.com
