Research and Extension Roles and Standpoints on Collaboration in technology Promotion and Transfer at a Higher Education Institution in the Philippines

Abstract

Research and extension collaboration has been considered by policymakers as a critical factor in the success of efforts at lifting the agricultural sector especially in developing countries. Generation of technologies aimed at improving crop yields and farmers’ incomes are mainly the researchers’ role, while dissemination, promotion and transfer of these technologies for adoption especially by small-scale farmers is traditionally regarded as the extensionists’ main tasks. The research-extension linkage has been studied in terms of extent of collaboration and communication and causes of weak linkage, but not a single study explored how collaboration is viewed and what roles the researchers and extensionists assume in technology transfer. This study aimed to find out the roles and standpoints of researchers and extensionists in the promotion of technologies generated in an agricultural higher education institution (HEI) in the northern Philippines. Qualitative methodology was utilized to gather data from nine researchers and five extensionists who were all chosen through purposive sampling and who were all from the HEI. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the transcribed interviews. Findings show that researchers performed the role of technology transfer agents while extensionists served merely as reinforcement to the promotion activities of the researchers. There were differing standpoints about technology promotion and transfer, with the researchers’ viewpoint of extensionists’ lack of competence as a critical reason for not relegating this role to them, due to the extensionists’ non-involvement in the generation of the technologies. Lack of linkage between the two prevented the extensionists from assuming their prescribed role as technology transfer agent, doing instead the role of facilitator and organizer of farmers’ trainings. The study results call for a re-articulation of extensionists’ function and for their involvement in research centers’ implementation plan for technology promotion and transfer.