The Direction for Improvement of Agricultural Extension System Reorganization by Public Opinion

여론을 통해 본 농촌지도 체제 개편의 방향

Agricultural extension has contributed enormously to agriculture and farmers, since Rural Development Administration(RDA) was founded in Korea. However, as the decentralization got started and world environment has changed, agriculture extension shrank by transferring the function of agricultural extension to local government. According to public opinion appeared on the bulletin boards of RDA web site, many people suggest that agricultural extension should be improved from the current system and services. Findings in the transfer of the extension system from national status to local government showed some advantages and disadvantages; 1) Agricultural extension services was decreased sharply by a large dropping in the number of extension educators. 2) The identity of agricultural extension services was disappearing. 3) The extension projects when matched with local features could be better implemented. 4) The lives of extension educators were better stabilized. Rural Development Administration intends to transfer the director of the local Agriculture Technology Center to the national status. This would return all current extension educators step by step to national positions. By doing so, agricultural extension scholars and farmers are welcoming this agenda. On the other hand, the extension educators themselves were divided by contradictory opinions Therefore, government should search for the better alternatives to establish more effective system with considerations of various aspects in activating the agricultural extension services.