Study On The Strategies To Promote The Extension Of Agricultural Sci-Tech In China

The extension of agriculture science and technology is the bridge and link transforming achievements in science and technology to the realistic productivities. There are rich resources of agricultural sci-tech achievements, and staffs and institutions on agriculture research and extension in China. But, the transferring mechanism of sci-tech achievements in agriculture is no longer suitable to the request of modern agriculture production. Therefore, only 30% of 6000 sci-tech achievements in agriculture produced annually were extended and used, while 60% in developed countries. So the lower transferring rate of sci-tech achievements in agriculture has been the main barriers to the development of modern agriculture and construction of new countryside. The agricultural extension system based on the organizations instructed by government in China is established under the planned economy background, which is no longer suitable to the multiple requests of farmers to science and technology under the market economy, and has seriously restricted the application of scientific and technical achievements. Therefore, the researches on the strategies to solving the problems exited in the current extension system of agricultural sci-tech, exploring new model, new mechanism and new method of application of science and technology to farmers are of vital practical importance to promote the development of modern agriculture and the reconstruction of socialism new rural area.Under the instruction of agricultural extension theory, by integrating the innovation of sci-tech extension system of agriculture, borrowing the successful achievements in aboard and China, discussing the procedures and the characteristics of agriculture science and technology expansion in developed countries, and their advantages, some thoughts and countermeasures to reform and develop the expansion system of agriculture sci-tech were put forward in this paper after the analyzing the advanced experience from overseas, combined with the fundamental realities in China.The present agricultural extension system has played important roles in the transferring and application of sci-tech achievements. But along with the reformation of agricultural economy and the adjustment of industry structure of countryside, the present agricultural extension system in China was not met the request of agriculture development. The primary factors which restricting the expansion and application of the achievements in agricultural sci-tech were pointed out as that segregation of scientific innovation and the expansion, the division, separation and dispersion of extension facilities, the insufficient of extension funds, the inflexible mechanism and model, the slow-growing of the Intermediary organization of agricultural science and technology, the inefficiency of information feedback on the supplies and the demand of agricultural technology, and so on.Analysis on the models and methods adopted in extension of agricultural science and technology by 14 agricultural universities in China revealed that agricultural universities were the most active organizations in the new stage of rural development. The extension model of agricultural science and technology supported by universities promoted to the close links between production, study and research, and has been the most efficient way to promote the application of science and technology in agriculture in farmers. Agricultural universities will certainly be the important new force among the multiple expansion system of agriculture science and technology in China.Pointing to the situation and problems in the current extension system of agricultural sci-tech, the choice for enhancing agricultural sci-tech extension was suggested as to change the way adopted at present for extension of agricultural science and technology, to integrate the facilities of agricultural science and technology extension, to establish the chains of agricultural science and technology extension, then to gradually establish the multiple extension system instructed by government and involved the institutions related to education and research in agriculture, the industries involving agriculture, and the intermediary organizations. It was suggested: (1) The natural and economic rules should be followed and the thoughts of organizing agricultural science and technology extension based on the ecological region and industry distribution should be considered, to establish the idea of extension in the same as education, and to promote the transformation of extension ways from the traditional administrative extension to educational extension, and to develop chains of agricultural industry to farmers with services from the production preparation to products processing and finally to the market. (2) The following measures should be adopted to promote the innovation of agriculture science and technology extension system. First, the new model of extension supported by agricultural universities should be further explored to bring the roles of university in extension of agricultural science and technology more efficiently. Second, the reform of the present administration agricultural extension organization should be deepened by redefining the function of those organizations, and separating the organizations with law enforcement and the administration functions. It was suggested that the agriculture institute and the extension centre in the prefecture level should be removed and merged as the regional comprehensive experimental stations, functioned as the pilots of agricultural universities and the administration, the agricultural extension centers in the county level should be further strengthened. Third, the regional sci-tech innovation centers in agriculture should be well arranged and established by integration of the regional resources in agriculture science and technology, and the national agricultural innovation system of science and technology with extension function should be established as soon as possible. Fourth, the intermediate and service organization of agriculture science and technology must be promoted and developed to become the important force of agriculture science and technology expansion. Fifth, the safeguard systems of agriculture science and technology extension should be further improved by legislation, policy and funds, especially to provide support to the non-government extension organization.