Farmers want simple extension materials

By SOLDIER BURUKA of DAL
Kamba villagers in Madang province say agricultural information and extension materials should be made more simple and easier for farmers to read and understand.

Kamba farmers study samples of extension materials produced by the workshop participants and voice their approval

The villagers, mostly farmers who grow all kinds of food crops, as well as produce coffee, cocoa and others like spices and balsa, told participants of a sub-regional training course on production of extension materials held in Madang recently that appropriate information and extension materials and regular extension visits were important to support the rural farmers and boost the sector.
The workshop participants from Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, under the auspices of CTA and IRETA, spent a few days interviewing farmers and discussing their requirements for extension materials and information.
Based on the interviews and discussions, the participants prepared a number of materials including booklets, pamphlets, brochures, posters and others which they took back and presented to the farmers.
Kamba farmers were impressed with the materials produced by the participants saying that they would like more of the materials to be produced and widely distributed to boost agriculture productivity.
The materials produced covered topics such as control of taro leaf blight and taro beetle, pruning cocoa to increase yield, and formation of farming co-operative associations and came in the form of booklets, brochures, posters and other materials.
They said that they were always busy doing other things and many of them also understood little English.
They preferred extension materials in a form that was simple and understood by everybody.
After the completion of the two-week training, the course facilitators from CTA and IRETA handed over all the extension materials to the farmers and Madang provincial agriculture division to distribute to others as well.