Passing the Message – UC Davis, the International Learning Center and the Challenges of Extension in Developing Countries.

Extension in developing and less developed countries has long been recognized as a major bottleneck to development. Multiple challenges face development and extension workers – low literacy rates, poor farmers with low or no credit availability, poor input and knowledge access, large numbers of target groups, inadequate infrastructure for input and product movement. This paper highlights the approach used at UC Davis to help developing countries achieve their development goals and in particular the role of its International Learning center (ILC), its use of information communication technology and its methodology.

Recognizing that communication and learning have to be effective within the complexity of the developing world, the ILC has developed a 5 step delivery scheme that combines content and train-the-trainer in a market-oriented delivery context. The approach is supported by a web-based resource of demand-driven information available in a range of forms to best meet the needs of the target groups. Drawing from extensive experience– including the development of the world’s first major web-based knowledge-resource for developing countries (the Rice Knowledge Bank) - the members of the ILC offer practical solutions to meeting the challenges of developing world extension.