Perception of agricultural extension problems in Kenya by policy- makers, supervisors, and field personnel: implications for planned change

Abstract

Effective implementation of rural development programmes will need much greater attention in the next decade if rural populations in the less developed countries are to benefit from development programmes undertaken by governments. Strategies such as civil service reform, bureaucratic innovation, capacity building, and different types of organization development may be useful in this regard. But expanding the problem-solving capacity of rural development organizations themselves, through the utilization of organizational members within different levels of hierarchy, will continue to be a superior way of increasing program success than the use of external consultants with "bags of tricks”.

This study undertook a multi-level study of problem perception by policymakers, supervisors and field personnel in Kenya's agricultural extension service in order to: (1) identify important problems perceived by field staff and other personnel as causing frustration, dissatisfaction, and lowered morale; (2) determine any influence of demographic factors on problem perception; and (3) determine any commonality in problem perception between policymakers, supervisors, and field staff.

Using interview guides with open-ended questions, in-depth interviews were undertaken for a selected number of policymakers at the head office, extension supervisors at six provincial headquarters' offices, and field extension staff of the Ministries of Agriculture, and Livestock Development in four different districts in Kenya.

Major findings of the study were: (1) that field personnel and other extension staff perceive a wide range of problems; (2) that most prominent problems originate from within the organization itself rather than the external environment; and (3) although some perceived problems tended to lose their sharp definition and recognition by officials as one moved up the hierarchy, there was a surprisingly high level of commonality in problem perception between field personnel, supervisors and policymakers. The high level of commonality is seen as a good basis for future planned change aimed at improving the problem-solving capacity of the organization.