De los profesores

There are some principles spelt out by Misra (1997) necessary for proper monitoring of extension programmes. These principles include:

• Simplicity: Monitoring must be simple. A multifaceted or complicated monitoring system is self-defeating. The basic task of monitoring is to simplify the field-level complexity, sifting the more important concerns from the less significant.

• Timeliness: Monitoring must be well-timed. Timeliness is the fundamental nature in monitoring. Management requires input from the monitoring system so that timely action may be taken. Also, timeliness is closely related to the reliability of monitoring itself.

• Relevance: Monitoring must be appropriate. It must concern itself only with parameters which are relevant to programme objectives. This also ensures that monitoring does not generate information that is not used or is not usable by management.

• Reliability: Information provided through monitoring should be dependable.

Management will rely on monitoring findings only if the information is believed to be reasonably accurate.

• Participatory Effort: Monitoring efforts should be contributory. Effort should be made to ensure participation by all concerned with extension, be they field-level personnel, subject-matter specialists, or extension's clients (the farmers).

• Flexibility: Monitoring must be bendable. It is reoccurrence in nature and gets habitual with the passage of time. These two characteristics should not, however, lead to rigidity.

• Action- Oriented: Monitoring should be action oriented. Monitoring often leads to action. Consequently, it should follow pragmatic approaches, keeping the requirements of extension's clients uppermost in view. Generating information for which there is no intended use should be diligently avoided.

• Cost-effectiveness: Monitoring must be cost-effective. Monitoring efforts cost money and time. It is therefore essential to make it cost-effective. While principles of simplicity, time-lines, relevance, and accuracy will lead to cost-effectiveness, computerization also can help to make monitoring more cost-effective by reducing staff hours in data

processing.

• Top management oriented: Monitoring units should keep in mind the requisites of top management when designing and operating a monitoring system. Yet at the same time, monitoring must take into account the fact that those who provide information to the system also must benefit or the quality of the information provided will decline.

• Problem-Solving Oriented: Monitoring units represent focused activities. Monitoring is not merely concerned with the collection and analysis of data, but with diagnosing problems and suggesting alternative practical solutions.

SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE

• Describe ten basic principles necessary for proper monitoring of extension programmes?

3.3 Extension Monitoring and Evaluation Indicators

Indicators are variables that help to appraise changes in a given situation. They are apparatus for monitoring and evaluating the effects of an activity and the principal means by which a

monitoring unit keeps track of extension's capability, effectiveness, and efficiency.

In extension monitoring, both the inductive and the deductive approaches are followed. In the inductive approach, a system of social, economic, and demographic statistics is created and a

wide range of indicators is developed on the basis of the statistics available. In the deductive approach, the areas of interest are first identified, and then requisite indicators are developed.

Extension monitoring indicators can also be grouped into two categories:

(1) Extension capability indicators, and (2) Extension performance indicators.

Both should be generated by the monitoring unit

• Extension Capability Indicators

Extension capability indicators must be monitored regularly not only to know the status of extension's capability at a certain point in time, but also to determine changes in it over time.

These indicators should be calculated annually. They involve only desk work because they are based on in-house data. Example, Extension capability indicators test for example Competence, Intensity, and Equity

• Extension Performance Indicators

Extension performance indicators reflect extension's operational and technical

efficiency. They can be grouped into two categories namely extension effectiveness indicators and extension efficiency indicators.

There are different types of indicators, for example, development indicators, socioeconomic indicators, agricultural development indicators, and extension indicators. They range from general to specific concerns .The criteria for selecting indicators depend upon the purpose, resources, and time available. The following decisive factor is usually suggested:

• Simplicity: The indicator should be simple enough to be understood by non-specialists (FAO, 1988).

• Unambiguous definition: It should be clearly defined (Casley & Lury, 1982,; Casley &

Kumar, 1987).

• Ready determination: The data can be obtained without undue difficulty (WHO, 1989).

This is also referred to as "timely" (ACC, 1984) and "feasible" (FAO, 1988, p. 8;Gha, Hopkins, & McGranahan, 1988).

• Accurate measurement: The indicator should be measured accurately, which is often difficult when dealing with farming communities (Casley & Lury, 1982).

• Validity: The indicator should actually measure what it is supposed to measure (ACC, 1984; FAO, 1988; see also Gha et al., 1988).

• Relevance: It should be geared to the specific needs of decision makers (Petry, 1983) and be relevant to project objectives (ACC, 1984).

• Specify: It should reflect changes only in the situation concerned (WHO, 1989) and should measure specific conditions that the project aims to change (Casley & Kumar, 1987).

• Consistency: The value of indicators should stay constant so long as they are collected in identical conditions, no matter who does the collecting (Casley & Kumar, 1987).

Indicators should be objective and verifiable (FAO, 1988).

• Sensitivity: Indicators should be sensitive to changes in the situation being observed (ACC, 1984). They should be sensitive enough to reflect changes in the phenomenon

• Prioritization: Indicators should be prioritized and a minimum feasible list prepared (Gha et al., 1988).

4.0 CONCLUSION

In this unit, you have been exposed to the concepts and the principles of monitoring and evaluation in agricultural extension. You are also open to aspects to Extension monitoring and evaluation indicators.

5.0 SUMMARY

In this unit, you have learnt that an effective agriculture extension system will need to establish and use monitoring procedures and evaluation both to improve extension performance and to communicate the results of extension programmes to policy makers and clientele being served.

Evaluation should be carried out in three stages with the correct principles. The criteria for selecting indicators that help to appraise changes in a given situation depend upon the purpose, resources, and time available. Monitoring and evaluating the effects of an activity and the principal means by which a monitoring unit keeps track of extension's capability, effectiveness, and efficiency.

6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT

1. Enumerate the four concepts that are basic to monitoring and evaluation.

2. What are the decisive factors for the selection indicators for an Agriculture Extension project?

3. Explain seven benefits an extension organisation will achieve in carrying proper monitoring.