Module 1: The Context of Extension

Module Overview
This module covers three lessons that emphasize the meaning of agricultural extension and its
elements. Also, it deals with global and country statistics on population and agricultural
production. Lastly, it tackles the agricultural modernization, sustainable development, and the
situation of Philippine agriculture.

Lesson 1.1: Meaning and Objectives of Extension

Agricultural Extension: Meaning and its Elements

What is Agricultural Extension?

Agricultural Extension is a non-formal system of education that is organized to provide

rural people useful and practical knowledge/technologies in agriculture and teaching them to
apply these to their farms and in their homes.
According to Maunder (1973), Agricultural extension is also the application of scientific
research and new knowledge to agricultural practices through farmer education. It is a service or
system which assists farm people through educational procedures, in improving farming
methods and techniques, increasing production efficiency and income, and lifting the social and
educational standards of rural life.
Medina and Ancheta (1978) defined it as a well-planned program of bringing results of
agricultural research and technology to rural people to help them solve their problems relative to
agricultural production and home, family, and community living.
Agricultural Extension plays a crucial role in promoting agricultural productivity,
increasing food security, improving rural livelihoods, and promoting agriculture as an engine of
pro-poor economic growth.

The following are the importance of Agricultural Extension:

1. Agricultural Extension uses democratic methods in educating the farmers through a
participatory approach
2. Helps in the adoption of innovations in increasing efficiency in agricultural production. It
is a continuous process of transferring technology until its adoption by the farmers.
3. Helps in studying and solving rural problems.
4. Increases the rate of return on capital investment in agriculture. It increases the farm
yields and improves the standard of living of farmers and better family living.
5. Makes good communities better and progressive through training of communities in
different disciplines.
6. It makes possible agricultural development
 7. It functions as an interface between agricultural research and technology development
and potential end-users
8. Formation of Organization to farmers
According to Dr. Henry Y. Goltiano, Agricultural Extension has four levels of objectives,
these are the following:
1. Inform- means providing knowledge to the farmers and other clientele
2. Form- builds attitudes that favourable to adoption of innovations.
3. Reform- improving practices (either technical or social) and correcting old practices.
4. Transform- aims for empowerment and liberation towards self-propelled search for
development.

The goal of extension is EMPOWERMENT. It is a development of knowledge, skills, and attitude

to become successful and to have a voice for development in the delivery systems.
Empowerment is the improvement of resources and abilities of a person to participate in,
influence, control and hold accountable institutions that affect his/her life. Also, allowing rural
people to decide upon and to take the actions which they believe are essential to their
development.
The farmers are the ones who need to empower and they are informed and taught all the
best practices to create sustainable production, and to increase the quality of their livelihood.
There are Two Dimensions of Agricultural extension, these are:
1. Communication- the process of getting/ disseminating useful information to people
(extension clientele).
2. Education- assisting the extension clientele to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills
and attitude in order to use the information technology effectively.
Extension teaching vs. Classroom teaching:
BASIS OF DISTINCTION CLASSROOM TEACHING EXTENSION
TEACHING
1. Audience Children and Youth Youth and Adults
2. Purpose Preparing for life Actual life situation
3. Participation Compulsory Voluntary
4. Nature Formal Non-formal
5. Place/Venue Classrooms/schools Where the people are
Table 1.The distinctive characteristics of extension vs. classroom teaching

The table above shows the distinguishing characteristics of extension teaching and
classroom teaching. Classroom teaching strives to view the student holistically. Students will
enter the classroom from a variety of backgrounds and will bring with them different
expectations, experiences, and assumptions. On the other hand, Extension teaching is an
educational process for bringing about the maximum number of desirable changes among the
people, in which the purpose is more on actual life situations.
Extension as a course
Agricultural extension is a course that enriches and strengthens the academic preparation
of students to better equip with skills, knowledge and attitudes and competencies of a well-
rounded agriculturist who can effectively disseminate technology and deliver program/projects.

Lesson 1.2: Population and Agricultural

Production: Global and Country Statistics

Population Growth

Population growth is a significant dimension of development. According to Dyson, T.

(1999), population growth is the most important factor in powering the global demand for more
food to be produced.
The projections of population growth established in 2017 forecast that the human
population will keep growing until 2100, reaching an estimated 8.6 billion in 2030, 9.8 billion in
2050, and 11.2 billion in 2100.
 Figure 2 shows that China and India are prominent countries to reach its population to
more than 1 billion. China ranked first with 1.4 billion followed by India of 1.3 billion.
The Philippines ranked 13th in the most populated countries with a population above 100
million people.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), our country has a total population
of 106.6 million in 2018. Our country has 108,956,462 as per the UN database (Worldometer,
2020). PSA estimated that there will be 110 million Filipinos in 2020.
The Philippines population is equal to 1.41% of the total world population. The urban
population percentage is 47.5 % and in rural is 52.5%.

There are several factors affecting Global Human Population, these are:
1. Time
2. Fertility Rate (birth rate)
3. Mortality Rate (death rate)
4. Initial Population
5. Migration- the transfer of people from one place to another

The over-all pattern of population growth can be explained by the demographic transition
which is a process of changing the high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates. This
transition has occurred during the past century, leading to a stabilization of population growth in
the more highly developed countries.
Having undergone the four stages in the demographic transition, it appeared that most
developed countries have a low population growth rate meaning their numbers increase only a
little. On the contrary, developing countries including the Philippines with their high population
growth rate will constitute a larger and larger fraction of the world’s population.
Agricultural Production
Thomas Malthus wrote one of the first books on
population control, entitled: “An Essay on the Principle of
Population as it Affects the Future Improvement of Society” in
1798. The author wrote that the power of population is
indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce
subsistence for man,”
Malthus believed that the human population
increases geometrically while agricultural production
increases arithmetically. He predicted that a rapid population
increase would surpass the ability of mankind to produce
requisite food. Whether food supply can keep pace with
Figure 3. Thomas Maltus’ First
increasing human population remains a major concern.
Book on the Principle of
Population
Green Revolution
 Green Revolution is a series of research,
development, and technology transfer initiatives, happening between
the 1940s and the late 1970s that improved agricultural production
around the world beginning most evidently in the late 1960s.
This initiative was led by Norman Borlaug, who is considered
as the "Father of the Green Revolution”. He was an American
agronomist who directed initiatives worldwide that
contributed to the extensive increases in agricultural production
termed the Green Revolution.
Figure 4. Norman
In this period, many nations were self-sufficient in Borlaug (The Father of food that
despite the rapidly growing population, agricultural Green Revolution) production
was able to keep pace with the population growth.
Agricultural production was able to keep up its pace with the population during that time
because of the following strategies:
• Modernization of agriculture – a scheme applied by both developed and developing
countries using biological, chemical and mechanical technologies;
• Area expansion – significant increase in the farming and irrigated areas to be used for
agricultural production; and
• Farm diversification – used to maximize limited areas in the urban areas and applied
integrated farming systems to make the most out of the available resources.

Components of Green Revolution Technology:

1. Introduction of high yielding seed varieties for several major crops
2. Creation and utilization of energized irrigation facilities
3. Use of high doses of fertilizers and pesticides,
4. Extensive use of farm machinery geared towards improving farm productivity

The Green Revolution has also been widely criticized for the following reasons:
1. Caused environmental damage
2. Polluted waterways
3. Killed beneficial insects and other wildlife
4. Degradation of land
5. Led to loss of biodiversity on farms
6. Weeds have increased: due to heavy crop rotation pattern
7. Chemicals in water
8. Loss of old seeds

The World of Commodities

The following are the information of the different commodities in the world which is being
ranked by the following:

A. Top 10 Rice Producer

RANK COUNTRY TONNES
1 China 206,507,400
2 India 157,200,000
3 Indonesia 70,846,465
4 Bangladesh 52,325,620
 5 Vietnam 44,974,206
6 Thailand 32,620,160
7 Myanmar 26,423,300
8 Philippines 18,967,826
9 Brazil 12,175,602
10 Japan 10,549,000
Source: Source: FAOSTAT, 2020 )

B. Top 13 Maize /Corn Producer

RANK COUNTRY PRODUCTION (MT)
1 United States 347,006
2 China 254,000
3 Brazil 101,000
4 Europe 64,560
5 Argentina 50,000
6 Ukraine 35,500
7 India 29,000
8 Mexico 25,000
Canada
Russian 14,000
9
Federation
South Africa
10 Indonesia 12,700
11 Nigeria 11,000
12 Ethiopia 8,400
13 Philippines 8,100
Source: INDEX MUNDI, 2019)

C. Top 10 Sugarcane Producer

RANK COUNTRY
1 Brazil
2 India
3 China
4 Thailand
5 Pakistan
6 Mexico
7 Colombia
8 Philippines
9 Indonesia
10 USA
Source: USDA, 2019 )

D. Top 10 Banana Producer

 RANK COUNTRY
1 India
2 China
3 Philippines
4 Ecuador
5 Brazil
6 Indonesia
7 Angola
8 Guatemala
9 UR of Tanzania
10 Mexico
Source: USDA, 2019 )

E. Top 10 Coconut Oil Producer

RANK COUNTRY
1 Indonesia
2 Philippines
3 India
4 Sri Lanka
5 Brazil
6 Thailand
7 Vietnam
8 Mexico
9 Papua New Guinea
10 UR of Tanzania
Source: USDA, 2019 )

Lesson 1.3: Agricultural Modernization, Sustainable development

and the situation of Philippine agriculture

Agricultural Modernization and Development

What is Development?
Development is the process of growing or causing something to grow or become larger
or more advanced

What is Modernization?
Modernization is the process in which societies move from simple to complex,
homogeneity to heterogeneity, incoherent to coherent, and from agriculture to industrial.

Agriculture Modernization, defined

Agriculture modernization the process of great changes /transformation in agriculture.
With the projected population growth, boosting agricultural productivity is a challenge that needs
to be met. Thus, we can meet this challenge through agriculture modernization.
 Through the increase of population growth, that means there are more mouths are to be
fed, and the conventional way of farming will not sustain agricultural production. Thus, the
modernization of agriculture is significant because it will increase agricultural production.
Agriculture largely contributes to a country’s economy. It plays a significant role in the
Philippine economy. It comes mainly from agribusiness where the main agricultural enterprise is
crop cultivation/farming. Others are from livestock and other agricultural services. An increase in
agriculture productivity is a major force for economic growth, especially in low income developing
countries. A stable agriculture sector also ensures a country’s food security.

There are ways in modernizing Agriculture, these are:

1. Increased land under irrigation

2. Multiple cropping/activity- the subsequent introduction of adapted and accepted
varieties can potentially strengthen farmers’ cropping systems by increasing yields,
improving drought resilience, boosting resistance to pests and diseases, and also by
capturing new market opportunities.
3. Increased mechanization
4. Expanding cash crop production (such as coffee, cocoa, tea, sugar cane, cotton, spices,
etc.)
5. Encouraging the entrepreneurship drive- the capacity and willingness to develop,
organize, and manage a business venture along with any of its risks to make a profit.
6. Developing marketing channels for agricultural produce- covers the services involved in
moving an agricultural product from the farm to the consumer.
7. Value addition to traditional crops (such as amaranth, malunggay, etc.)
8. Reforming land acquisitions- the statutory division of agricultural land and its
reallocation to landless people

Agriculture Modernization in the Philippines

On December 22, 1997, the Philippines through the Department of Agriculture passed into
law the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act or AFMA. It became effective in the year
1999. It was enacted by former President Fidel V. Ramos.

Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (R.A. 8435)

AFMA is a comprehensive blueprint for agriculture modernization and rural development
in the Philippines.
It is the process of transforming the agriculture and fisheries sectors into one that is
dynamic technologically advance and competitive yet centered on human development, guided
by the sound practices of sustainability and the principles of social justice.
It seeks to modernize the Philippine agriculture for the country to compete in the global
market.

AFMA aims to achieve the following:

1. Transform the agriculture and fisheries sectors to a technology-based, advanced and

competitive industry
2. Ensure that the small farmers and fisherfolks have equal access to assets, resources, and
services
3. Guarantee food security
 4. Encourage farmer and fisherfolks groups to bond together for more bargaining power
5. Strengthen people’s organizations, cooperatives, and nongovernment organizations by
enhancing their participation in decision-making
6. Pursue an aggressive market-driven approach to make the products more competitive in
the market
7. Stimulate further processing of agricultural products and make it more marketable
8. Implement policies that will invite more investors to establish a business in the country

Seven Principles of AFMA:

1. Poverty alleviation and social equity

2. Food security
3. Rational use of resources
4. Global competitiveness
5. Sustainable development
6. People empowerment
7. Protection from the competition are in the right places

The concept of extension in the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997 (RA
8435) emphasizes the services to be promoted in order to improve the status of farmers and
fisherfolks. If extension is equated with technology transfer, then it is calculated, reasonable and
intended transfer of technology into different environments for higher productivity, higher
profitability, greater economic equity, greater social/political participation, high standards of
living, higher industrial output, better local governance, higher competitiveness, and
sustainability.

In the Philippines, the primary and often only source of income for poor rural people is
agriculture. With more than 70 percent of the poor residing in rural areas, poverty in the
Philippines is primarily a rural problem

According to Sen. Edgardo Angara, the failure to modernize agriculture is the root of the
massive poverty in rural areas. To fight massive poverty, developing and modernizing agriculture
is a key strategy. Likewise, modern agriculture will ensure food security and address hunger in
the country.

What hindered the full implementation of modernizing agriculture in the Philippines?

It is not fully implemented because of the lack of funding support from the government.
AFMA is a good law but among other reasons, the lack of funding support and
implementation of policies negate the full implementation of programs to modernize Philippine
agriculture.

Sustainable Agriculture Development

Sustainable development was first coined by the Brundtland Commission in 1987 as
“meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs”. It is a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving
the environment.
 Sustainable development is having a healthy environment, an equitable society and a
vibrant community. It is the shared responsibility of the present and future generations.
It is the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources and
thereby supporting long-term ecological balance.
Sustainable agricultural development is derived from and central to the concept of
sustainable development.

How can we preserve our environment?

1. By not polluting them

2. Stop Illegal logging
3. Through Sustainable Agriculture- one that produces abundant food w/o depleting the
earth’s resources or polluting its environment.

Goals of Sustainable Agricultural Development:

1. Satisfaction of human food and fiber needs

2. Enhancement of the environmental quality and natural resource base upon which the
agricultural economy depends
3. Efficient use of non-renewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where
appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls
4. Sustaining the economic viability of farm operations
5. Enhancement of the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole

Sustainable agriculture has three components:

1. Economic sustainability- a farm must be profitable for it to be sustainable. A farm’s

economic sustainability depends on many factors:
• Crop production method
• Farmer’s management
• Decision making and
• Marketing skills
2. Environmental sustainability - Sustainable agriculture not only aims to have little to no
adverse effect on natural ecosystems, it also seeks to have a positive impact on these.
Sustainable agricultural methods include:
• Maximizing diversity through planned crop rotations
• Intercropping
• Companion planting
• Protecting water quality
• Composting year-round soil cover
• Integrating crop and animal production, and
• Attracting beneficial wildlife

3. Social sustainability- this relates to the quality of those who live and work on the farm
and in the community.
This includes fair treatment of workers, positive family relationships, positive interactions
with consumers, and the purchase of local supplies.
In essence, the farm supports the community and the community supports the farm.
 Achieving sustainable development will require balancing environmental, societal, and
economic considerations in the pursuit of development and improved quality of life.
Philippine Agriculture Over the years
The agriculture sector plays an important role in the Philippine economy. Although it’s a
contribution to the country’s GDP (18% in 2009) declined, the agriculture sector is still a priority
because it provides employment to the country’s labor force. It contributed 34% to national
employment.

Philippine Agriculture Scenario

• Land Area: *30 million hectares
• Agricultural Area; 47%

Five Major Crops:

1. Rice
2. Corn
3. Sugarcane
4. Coconut
5. Banana

Primary Crops Secondary Crops

Rice Peanut
Corn Cassava
Coconut Sweet Potato
Sugarcane Garlic
Banana Onion
Coffee Cabbage
Mangoes Eggplant
Tobacco Calamansi
Abaca Rubber
Pineapple Cotton
(Source: PSA )
a. General Scenario of Rice
Rice is the most important crop in the country and it is grown extensively in Luzon, the
Western Visayas, Southern Mindanao, and Central Mindanao. Rice production in the Philippines
increased significantly in the early 1970s. Rice production decreased in the 1980s due to natural
calamities (storms and drought) and the economic crisis.
The top five (5) palay producing provinces are: (PSA, 2019 4th Quarter)
1. Nueva Ecija
2. Isabela
3. Pangasinan
4. Iloilo
5. Cagayan

The Philippines is the 8th largest rice producer in the world. However, as a result, our country
became a rice importer again.
Reasons for Importing Rice:
1. Rapid Population Growth
2. Poor road and irrigation infrastructure
3. Limited suitable land to expand production

b. General Scenario of Corn

Corn is considered as the second most important crop in the country. One of the problems
in corn production was the infestation of Asian corn borer. The Department of Agriculture
approved the release of Bt corn MON 810 in December 2002,
This technology was intended to control the population of the Asiatic Corn Borer (ACB),
Ostrinia Furnacalis (Guenee).

The top three (3) corn producing provinces are: (PSA, 2019 4th Quarter)
1. Isabela
2. Bukidnon
3. South Cotabato
White corn producers: Yellow corn producers:
Maguindanao Isabela
Lanao del Norte Bukidnon
Lanao del Sur South Cotabato

c. General Scenario of Coconut

Coconut is one of the five major crops of Philippine agriculture, the others being rice, corn
and sugarcane, and banana. Of the country’s total coconut production, about 85% is exported in
the form of copra, coconut oil and desiccated coconut.

The top five (5) coconut producing provinces are: (PSA, 2019 4th Quarter)
1. Quezon
2. Davao del Sur
3. Zamboanga del Norte
4. Davao Oriental
5. Maguindanao

d. General Scenario of Banana

The top five (5) banana producing provinces are: (PSA, 2019 4th Quarter)
1. Davao del Norte
2. Bukidnon
3. Compostela Valley
4. North Cotabato
5. Davao del Sur

e. General Scenario of Sugarcane

Sugarcane in the Philippines is grown mainly in Negros, Luzon, Panay, and Mindanao. The
Biofuel Act of 2006 or the Republic Act 9367 was passed by the Philippine government to create
a market for ethanol investors, thus paving the way for the development of fuel ethanol production
industry in the country.
The top five (5) sugarcane producing provinces are:
1. Negros Occidental
2. Bukidnon
3. Negros Oriental
4. Batangas
5. Iloilo

f. General Scenario of Abaca

Abaca is extensively grown in south-eastern Luzon, eastern Mindanao, and in Leyte and
Samar. Both abaca and sugarcane are also the country’s important agricultural export products.
The top five (5) abaca producing provinces are:
1. Catanduanes
2. Northern Samar
3. Davao Oriental
4. Surigao del Sur
5. Davao del Sur

g. Livestock and Poultry Sector:

The top five (5) livestock and poultry producing regions are:
1. Central Luzon- chicken, duck, duck eggs
2. CALABARZON- swine, chicken eggs
3. Western Visayas- carabao
4. Central Visayas- goat
5. Northern Mindanao- cattle

h. Fisheries Sector:
Based on the latest data of Philippine Statistics Authority (2019), the top five (5) fish
producing regions are: ARMM, Zamboanga Peninsula, MIMAROPA, Western and Central Visayas.
Major Species: Principal Fish Export: Commercial Fishes:
Milkfish Canned Tuna Milkfish
Tilapia Tilapia Sardines
Tiger prawn Tuna Anchovies
Sea weeds Scad Tuna
Roundscad Mackarel Scad
Skipjack Mackare
Yellowfin tuna
Agricultural Products (exports):
In the Philippines, agricultural products are exported around the world, including the
United States, Japan, Europe, and the ASEAN countries.
 The major export products are coconut oil and other coconut products, bananas,
pineapple, and products. The coconut oil is still the top agricultural export of the country
encompassing about 21 percent of the total agricultural exports.
Export winners in terms of fishery products are:
• Prawns
• Seaweeds
• Tuna
• Deboned milkfish
• Tilapia is also emerging as a competitive export product.