In the wake of globalization, the concept, philosophy and methodologies of extension system has gone under rapid change. In order to face the emerging challenges, there is need to develop synergistic and coherent strategy for enhancing crop productivity and providing livelihood options to the rural masses. For the purpose, an initiative was taken to document the salient contributions and approaches of esteemed personalities who are involved in agricultural and rural development process as the scientific expert, policy planner and stakeholders. This book entitled "Extension Strategies for Agriculture and Rural Development" devoted on five sub-themes (i) Policy initiative in extension education (ii) Market-led extension and commercial farming (iii) ICT application and methodological advances in agriculture (iv) Entrepreneurship development and innovative approaches in extension and; (v) Gender mainstreaming in farming system. The topics covered in the book have got tremendous variation and move around with the strategies and recent approaches by which agriculture can become more productive and income generating enterprise leading to turn economically viable and socially acceptable profession. This book is more useful for the scientists, development professionals, teachers, extension workers and policy planners who are involved in the area of agriculture and rural development.

Papers presented at a national seminar on "Innovative extension strategies for agricultural development and rural prosperity" held at Bihar during 18-20 December 2008; in Indian context.

This important book is the re-titled third edition of the extremely well received and widely used Agricultural Extension (van den Ban & Hawkins, 1988, 1996). Building on the previous editions, Communication for Rural Innovation maintains and adapts the insights and conceptual models of value today, while reflecting many new ideas, angles and modes of thinking concerning how agricultural extension is taught and carried through today. Since the previous edition of the book, the number and type of organisations that apply communicative strategies to foster change and development in agriculture and resource management has become much more varied and this book is aimed at those who use communication to facilitate change in agriculture and resource management. Communication for Rural Innovation is essential reading for process facilitators, communication division personnel, knowledge managers, training officers, consultants, policy makers, extension specialists and managers of agricultural extension or research organisations. The book can also be used as an advanced introduction into issues of communicative intervention at BSc or MSc level.

Agricultural extension is in a great transition worldwide. The demand for public extension reform is greater than ever before. The agriculture knowledge infrastructure is evolving in a big way with the emergence of pluralistic extension actors and innovations to cater the needs of the farmeThis book is an attempt to document the past experiences and recent developments in the agriculture knowledge information systems. The compilation of 14 country s such as; Afghanistan, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, India, Iran, Mozambique, Nepal, Peru, Philippines, Trinidad and Tobago and Zimbabwe is intended to document the experience of extension systems. The fourteen country s highlight the worldwide agricultural extension reform measures (Decentralization, Privatization, Demand driven and Cost-recovery approaches), Institutional Pluralism (Public, Private, and NGOs) and Innovations (Farmer to Farmer extension, Participatory and Self-Help Group (SHG) approaches and ICT initiatives). The agricultural extension students, academicians, scientist, practitioners, administrators, and policy makers will find this compilation of extension experiences from the fourteen countries relevant for designing future reforms, advancing pluralistic extension system and also to integrating innovations in their extension approaches.