ENHANCING COMMUNICATION OF INNOVATIONS FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN GHANA / A CASE STUDY OF AGRICULTURE IN THE BUILSA DISTRICT

Abstract

In Ghana, since the introduction of extension service as an agency for modernizing agriculture through bringing innovations generated by research, the process of bringing these innovations to farmers has for many years taken the form of Transfer of Technology (T.O.T). (Ramirez, 1997:3) The Transfer of Technology approach is a simple linear process which involves the Extension agent picking the new idea generated through research and communicating it directly to the farmer. The farmer in this process is expected to adopt and operationalise this new idea in his farming business. It is the contention of this study that research and Extension has not been able to produce an impact in modernizing agriculture and increasing the productivity of small scale farmers. particularly in resource- poor farming regions because the Transfer of Technology (TOT) approach adopted by extension and practised over the years is ineffective. The approach is ineffective because it is alienating and non-participatory. It is a linear process, from research to extension to farmer (research - Extension - Farmer). This approach therefore alienates the researcher and those engaged in marketing agricultural inputs and out puts in the process of communicating innovations to farmers. The communication is only between the extension agent and the farmer. Even in this process the farmer is only a passive recipient of innovations. The process of T.O.T cannot therefore be considered to be fully participatory. It is this non-participatory nature of the process of T.O.T. that has largely contributed to ~~) making research and extension ineffective in modernizing and transforming agriculture despite several years ofresearch and extension activities in Ghana. It is the conviction of this study that if extension re-orients itself and factor in the researcher, the farmer and marketing agents of agricultural inputs and out puts in the process of innovation communication and change its present mode of linear Transfer of innovations to that of facilitating an all embracing process of innovation communication in a participatory framework and within the diversities and knowledge systems of farmers then giants steps would be made towards agricultural modernization and national development.