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Using Government Extension Services

Getting real help from extension officers and agencies: the right office and officer, well prepared farm visits, advice followed through to results, training, plant clinics, planting material and research partnerships.

Free · Mac (Apple silicon) and Windows · v1.0.0 · Other platforms

Then open the Marketplace in the app, search for Using Government Extension Services, and click Install. It goes into your own files, and works offline from then on.

What it installs.

1

Pillar

1

Area

50

Projects

199

Starter tasks

🌾 Agriculture & Agribusiness

Using Government Extension Services

Getting help from extension officers and agencies such as the Ministry of Agriculture, CARDI and IICA: field visits, training, soil tests and planting material.

  1. Mapping the extension offices that serve your farm
  2. One-page farm profile for extension officers
  3. Getting to know your district extension officer
  4. Requesting and preparing for a first farm visit
  5. Extension visit notebook
  6. Who does what among agriculture agencies
  7. Top five farm problems list for the officer
  8. Joining extension alert channels
  9. Services and fees list from the Ministry
  10. Quarterly check-in with your extension officer
  11. Recommendation follow-through tracker
  12. Reading pest alerts and farm advisories
  13. Reporting notifiable pests and diseases
  14. Plant clinic sample routine
  15. Seasonal planting material orders from propagation stations
  16. Soil test submissions through the extension office
  17. Training calendar watch
  18. Farmer group meetings as an extension channel
  19. Yearly review of what extension did for the farm
  20. A full season in a farmer field school
  21. Short course at the Ministry training centre
  22. Reading extension crop guides and technical bulletins
  23. Good photos and samples for remote diagnosis
  24. Using seasonal climate outlooks for planting decisions
  25. Climate-smart farming training
  26. Grafting and propagation at a government station
  27. Choosing improved varieties from station trials
  28. Deciding whether to host a demonstration plot
  29. Government tractor and land preparation service
  30. Strip trial of a recommended practice before scaling
  31. Second opinion when advice does not fit
  32. Escalating a stalled request politely
  33. Land use and engineering site assessment
  34. Hosting a farmers' field day on your farm
  35. Research station open day visit
  36. Exhibiting at an agricultural show with the Ministry
  37. Damage assessment visit after a hurricane or flood
  38. Agricultural census and farm survey visit
  39. Bringing in planting material with a quarantine permit
  40. New farmer orientation with extension
  41. Youth in agriculture programme application
  42. Part-time farmer making the most of extension
  43. Women farmers' network and extension
  44. Returning from abroad to farm family land
  45. Handing over the farm and its extension contacts
  46. Becoming a lead farmer or contact farmer
  47. Hosting an on-farm research trial
  48. Participatory variety selection with researchers
  49. Serving on a farmer advisory committee
  50. Regional programmes through IICA, FAO and CARDI

Where it starts.

Each project arrives with its purpose, milestones and first tasks written out. Here is how the first three read.

Mapping the extension offices that serve your farm

Most farmers know there is an agriculture office somewhere in the district, but few know which county or parish office covers their land, when it opens or which officer handles their crop. Writing down the offices, phone numbers and opening hours that actually serve your address saves wasted trips and gets requests to the right desk first time.

First tasks

  • Phone the Ministry of Agriculture switchboard and ask which office covers your address
  • Note opening hours and the best time to catch an officer in the office
  • List the propagation station, plant protection unit and vet office nearest the farm
  • Save every contact in one phone group and print a copy for the shed

One-page farm profile for extension officers

Officers cover hundreds of farmers and cannot remember everyone's acreage, crops and problems. A single page with the farm's location, size, enterprises, water source, farmer registration number and current concerns lets any officer give useful advice in the first ten minutes instead of spending the visit asking basic questions.

First tasks

  • Write the farm's acreage, crops, animals and water source on one page
  • Drop a map pin at the farm gate and add a landmark for directions
  • Sketch the blocks and attach the sketch to the profile
  • Hand a copy of the profile to the extension office

Getting to know your district extension officer

Extension works on relationships: the farmers who get visits, seedlings and training places are usually the ones the officer knows by name. Learning who your officer is, what crops they specialise in, how they prefer to be contacted and what their workload looks like turns a faceless office into a person who answers your calls.

First tasks

  • Ask the office for the name of the officer covering your area
  • Visit the office on an office day and introduce yourself
  • Ask which crops the officer knows best and how they like to be contacted
  • Record the officer's details and specialism in a contact page

Make it yours.

Install Using Government Extension Services, then tell Aurum the date you're aiming for. It checks whether the plan fits the weeks you actually have.

Free · Mac (Apple silicon) and Windows · v1.0.0 · Other platforms

Blueprints are general information to help you organise your own work. They are not medical, financial, legal or other professional advice. See the Terms.