Managing human resources within the context of extension

David Barboza^*
*Correspondence: David Barboza, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands, Email:

Received: 17-Aug-2022, Manuscript No. IJAERDOA-22-74464; Editor assigned: 19-Aug-2022, Pre QC No. IJAERDOA-22-74464 (PQ); Reviewed: 02-Sep-2022, QC No. IJAERDOA-22-74464; Revised: 16-Sep-2022, Manuscript No. IJAERDOA-22-74464 (R); Published: 23-Sep-2022

Description

One of the most significant recent innovations in the field of organisation is the increased emphasis placed on human resources. Motivational components of human nature, including the drive for self-esteem, group affiliation, and self- actualization, are receiving increasing attention. This new wave of humanism and humanization throughout the world has broadened the scope of using human resource management ideas in enterprises. Human resource management’s primary priorities are the growth of people, their skills, and the process development of the entire business.

Professional ineptitude and a lack of desire are important issues for extension groups in underdeveloped nations. Furthermore, many of these nations’ agricultural extension agencies lack a well-defined human resource management structure. Proper human resource planning and management within extension organisations is critical for increasing the competencies, motivation, and overall effectiveness of extension staff. Keeping this in mind, this chapter discusses the various aspects of human resource management as they apply to extension organisations: human resource planning for extension, job analysis, recruitment and training of extension personnel, performance appraisal, supervision, reward and incentive management, quality of work life improvement, and organisational development for extension.

Extension of human capital planning

Human resource planning estimates extension organisations’ future staff needs. With the rapid changes in technology, farmer demands, market scenario, and competitive environment, human resource planning has become a crucial and hard issue for extension. Human resource planning entails making plans for future staff needs, requisite skills, employee recruitment, and growth. The two most significant components of this sort of planning are human resource forecasting and human resource auditing. Human resource forecasting is the prediction of an organization’s future need for the quantity, kind, and quality of various personnel categories. The estimation of future demands must be based on an examination of current and future policies as well as growth trends. Forecasting strategies include the formal expert survey, the Delphi technique, Computer models, statistical analysis, and budget and budgeting analysis The human resource audit accounts for all of an organization’s personnel’ skills, talents, and performance.

Main quality factors for several kinds of extension services

A job description has numerous information but does not identify crucial areas that require attention. Furthermore, it specifies what is expected of the existing employee. Key performance areas, on the other hand, are defined and indicate the vital functions that are relevant now and in the future to reach the objectives. The identification of important performance areas aids in role clarification and function delegation. This, in turn, helps with performance evaluation and training. In most cases, four or five important elements of a work are determined. Village extension workers, subject-matter specialists, and supervisory staff or extension officers make up the core extension employees of developing nations.

Village Extension Employees People in this category make regular and systematic visits to villages and farms to build rapport with clients and understand their problems, participate in teaching programs such as meetings, campaigns, demonstrations, field days, training sessions, and exhibitions, and provide advisory services to farmers in order to solve their production problems.

Extension personnel essential qualities

The main performance areas highlight the critical responsibilities and contributions of various types of extension employees. Once the roles have been defined, they may be analysed to identify the characteristics that distinguish a successful role occupant from an ineffective role occupant. These key aspects include educational credentials, skills, experience, physical characteristics, mental ability, values, and attitudes required for advancement. The important traits required for field-level and supervisory extension employees include formal agricultural training, practical farming abilities and experience, and understanding of current farm methods. Group dynamics, human interactions, and communication skills are also vital. Extension supervisors must have basic management and leadership abilities. Faith in rural people, devotion to agricultural development, and other values and attitudes all extension employees must be concerned about the entire community.

Management training programs

Management development programmes are designed to help senior-level extension officers strengthen their managing abilities and prepare them for future jobs. Because of changing agricultural settings, there is an urgent demand for management development programmes in extension organisations. Furthermore, extension managers must be introduced to cutting-edge management approaches and processes. Management development programmes must be tailored to the needs of top-level extension managers and must be based on a needs assessment. Managers are trained through methods including as coaching, work rotation, training sessions, classroom teaching, and educational institute-sponsored development programmes. A specialised institute named MANAGE has been formed in India to train top extension managers in management and human relations abilities.