Capacities of Extension Personnel within the Pluralistic System of Post-Conflict Liberia

Agricultural extension can play a major role in stimulating development, reducing hunger and poverty, and promoting stability in post-conflict Liberia. Consequently, the nation has prioritized extension to increase agricultural productivity and enhance livelihoods. However, the capacities of Ministry of Agriculture personnel and NGO workers have considerable impacts on the quality of extension services. This study sought to (a) describe the human resource capacity of Ministry of Agriculture personnel and NGO workers to deliver extension services to smallscale farmers, and (b) identify organizational barriers impacting the capacity of extension personnel. A qualitative design and purposive sampling were used, and the study included perspectives from 13 MoA and 16 NGO extensionists along with 39 farmers. Results showed MoA officers possessed lower technical and andragogical capacities than their NGO peers. Capacity deficiencies were especially acute among older MoA personnel employed prior to the conflict. Both the MoA and NGO sector advocated professional development, yet only larger international NGOs (INGOs) could provide these opportunities to their personnel. Inclusion of MoA and domestic NGO officers in INGO trainings helped develop basic capacities, although these opportunities were not maximized. Operational barriers such as high farmer-to-officer ratios, inadequate funding for extension programming, and challenges in modernizing the workforce further compromised officer capacity. Recommendations included prioritizing efforts to maximize the benefits of INGO trainings to the public sector, attracting skilled extensionists from the NGO sector to the MoA, incorporating and promoting younger officers and female extensionists to meet modern demands, and using low-cost methods to improve coverage

Improving Participation of Non-Traditional Extension Audiences: The Empower Ocala Garden Project

Marion County Extension created the Empower Ocala Garden project to increase participation among low-income minority populations and address food desert conditions around its office. The project built trusting relationships, created a community garden for 12 households, and provided bi-weekly garden skills trainings. Participation, attitudinal changes, and knowledge gains were evaluated using pre- and post-project questionnaires. On average participants attended 53.4% of sessions. Attitudes improved by 9.82% across four gardening-related indicators, while knowledge increased by 19.57% across eight indicators. Overall, the project successfully engaged new clients, positively changed attitudes and knowledge, and may benefit other Extension professionals serving these audiences

Co-designing Infrastructures

Co-designing Infrastructures tells the story of a research programme designed to bring the power of engineering and technology into the hands of grassroots community groups, to create bottom-up solutions to global crises. Four projects in London are described in detail, exemplifying community collaboration with engineers, designers and scientists to enact urban change. The projects co-designed solutions to air pollution, housing, the water-energy-food nexus, and water management. Rich case-study accounts are underpinned by theories of participation, environmental politics and socio-technical systems. The projects at the heart of the book are grounded in specific settings facing challenges familiar to urban communities throughout the world. This place-based approach to infrastructure is of international relevance as a foundation for urban resilience and sustainability. The authors document the tools used to deliver this work, providing guidance for others who are working to deliver local technical solutions to complex social and environmental problems around the world. This is a book for engineers, designers, community organisers and researchers. Co-authored by researchers, it includes voices of community collaborators, their experiences, frustrations and aspirations. It explores useful theories about infrastructure, engineering and resilience from international academic research, and situates them in community-based co-design experience, to explain why bottom-up approaches are needed and how they might succeed

An Assessment of Extension Officers’ Self-Perceived Programming Competencies in Selected Caribbean Countries

Developing the human capacity of extension systems is a necessary part of improving services intended to meet the needs of small farmers. The purpose of this study was to determine the competencies for which professional development is needed in the area of programming for extension officers in selected Caribbean countries. A survey was conducted with all extension officers attending in-service trainings in Belize, Grenada, and Saint Lucia, using the Borich method to identify priority training needs. The greatest needs were most frequently observed in the areas of program planning and evaluation, although considerable variation existed across the group. The resulting challenge is to develop professional development resources that can be individualized by country while remaining cost-effective and accessibl

State 4-H Leader’s Perceptions of Involvement of Youth with Special Needs in the 4-H Program

Estimates indicate that 13% of school age children have a disability. With such a large number of children identified as individuals with special needs, it is important that organizations such as 4-H have strategies in place to work effectively with this population. This study sought to understand how Extension programs across the nation are working with children with special needs. Overall, 86% of respondents were unsure how many children with special needs were being served in their programs and only 44.7% of respondents indicated they provide training for agents and volunteers. While 68% of respondents indicated that there were programs in place, the scope and size of these opportunities varied greatly. Almost 95% of respondents indicated that modifications/accommodations were in place for children with special needs. The researchers suggest a more standardized response to identify and support children with special needs to ensure that effective programming can be developed

Ecology of a North Sea pockmark with an active methane seep

ABSTRACT: At a large North Sea pockmark, with active methane seeps, surface sediments were found to have higher insoluble sulphide concentrations than sedlments from the surrounding area. The fauna of the pockmark was characterized by 2 species which have not pi-evlously been reported from the Fladen Ground in the northern North Sea. These species were a b~valve, Thyasira sarsi (which is known to contain endosymbiotic sulphur-oxidising bacteria) and a mouthless and gutless nematode, Astomonerna sp., which also contains endosymbiotic bacteria The nematode was the dominant meiofauna species in the pockmark sediments. Both macro-lnfauna and total nematodes were in low abundance in samples taken from the base of the pockmark. Sediment samples from the pockmark contained numerous otoliths, implying that substantial winnowing of the sediment had taken place. This was supported by studies on the sulphide concentrations in the sediment which showed multiple layering of the sediments on the sides of the pockmark, suggesting displacement. The carbon isotope compositions (6I3c) of the tissues of benthic animals from in and around the pockmark were generally in the range -16 to -2O%, indicating that little methane-derived carbon was contributing to their nutrition. T sarsi had the most 13c-depleted tissues, -31.4 to -35.1 L, confirming the nutritional dependence of this species on chemoautotrophic bacteria that utilize reduced sulphur

Exile Vol. IV No. 2

SHORT STORIES In the Wake by Lewis Clarke 8-16 Picnic in the Spring by Joseph Arnold 18-28 Waiting for Pavlova by Virginia Wallace 31-34 The Waiting Place by Dennis Trudell 36-41 The Camp-Out at Minnow Lake by Diane Torgler 44-49 First Warm Night by Russell Speidel 50-52 POETRY Song of Oneself by Carol Ann Schreier 16 Died at Noon by Frank Reid 17 For the Earthbound by William Bennett 29 Lethargy by Julia Austen 34 To Roualt\u27s \u27The Old King\u27 by William Bennett 35 Elegy: For a Rahib by Ellen Moore 42-43 In this issue the editors of EXILE are proud to publish In the Wake by Lewis Clarke. This story has been awarded the semi-annual Denison Book Store - EXILE Creative Writing Prize. In the Winter, 1958 issue of THE COLLEGE PUBLISHER, sponsored by Pi Delta Epsilon, National Honorary Journalism Fraternity, EXILE was awarded second place in the national magazine contest. The award was in the category of school enrollment from 1200 to 2500 students

Oceans and Human Health: A Rising Tide of Challenges and Opportunities for Europe

The European Marine Board recently published a position paper on linking oceans and human health as a strategic research priority for Europe. With this position paper as a reference, the March 2014 Cornwall Oceans and Human Health Workshop brought together key scientists, policy makers, funders, business, and non governmental organisations from Europe and the US to review the recent interdisciplinary and cutting edge research in oceans and human health specifically the growing evidence of the impacts of oceans and seas on human health and wellbeing (and the effects of humans on the oceans). These impacts are a complex mixture of negative influences (e.g. from climate change and extreme weather to harmful algal blooms and chemical pollution) and beneficial factors (e.g. from natural products including seafood to marine renewable energy and wellbeing from interactions with coastal environments). Integrated approaches across disciplines, institutions, and nations in science and policy are needed to protect both the oceans and human health and wellbeing now and in the future