Role of Extension Education in Combating Desertification

Essential implementation measures designed to address problems of land degradation and desertification will only be successful if the actual land users are able to perceive direct benefits from the recommended conservation and management practices. Therefore, a new concept is the promotion of management practices capable of providing not only erosion control but also greater productivity, lower costs and higher profits. Numerous experiences confirm that a change in farming practice can be relatively easily achieved when community of farmers, with some trusted technical advisers, design, prepare and implement their own plans and action programs. Changes have been slow, difficult and at times impossible when plans have been made without farmer participation. Thus an obvious change of approach is required from top-down to bottom-up; whereby all land users are involved in the whole process of development from the identification of their problems to the selection and implementation of solutions. It is the farmers who make decisions on how best to use and manage their lands, according to the needs of their families and considering soil, climatic, economic and market factors. Without doubt extension education can play an important role regarding combating desertification.

Possible Subject Coverages:

• Challenges for farmers and extensionists at large
•  New innovation approaches regarding combating desertification
•  Media, methods and process management
•  Use of information technology by farmers
•  Identifying educational needs of various extension clientele
•  Evaluating educational programs
•  Support needed by extension agents to develop and deliver programs
•  Appropriate technology and research extension strategies
•  Problems of the linking systems

Please send your abstracts and questions to Prof. Dr. Mohammad Chizari
chizari@isdehs.com

Please note that the deadline for submitting your abstract is October 15 , 2006

 

Convenor(s):

Prof. Dr. Mohammad Chizari

Professor and Head of the
Agricultural Extension
and Education Department
College of Agriculture
Tarbiat Modarres University
P.O. Box 14155-4838
Tehran, Iran
Tel:     98-21-44194914 / 22589847
Fax:   98-21-44196524
email: chizari@isdehs.com

Prof. Chizari has been
nominated for his relentless
effort to be the first NDRD
Member State Representative
(MSR) for Iran, if NDRD will
decide to expand its mandate
to include Iran within the scope
of our first GA in December

For further information about
ISDEHS 2006, please contact
us at:: info@isdehs.com