Building the capacity of agricultural facilitators and farmers in Ghana: Providing complementary training with Open Distance Learning and Information and Communications Technology

Collins Kwabena Osei
CSIR-Crops Research Institute, Ghana

Reuben Aggor
Institute of Adult Education, University of Ghana, Legon

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     Last modified: October 15, 2006
     Presentation date: 10/31/2006 2:15 PM in NT Manchester
     (View Schedule)

Abstract
The need for food security in Ghana requires continuing education of agricultural extension agents (AEAs) who work with farmers in rural settings. The lack of continuing education opportunities is a drawback to AEAs performance. Increased access to quality education and training and new opportunities for learning and skill development in agriculture at the facilitator and farming community levels must be exploited to continually update the knowledge and skills of extension workers and farmers to better meet the challenge of sustaining and increasing agricultural productivity

Emerging information and communication technology mediated open distance education (TECH-MODE) holds promise to provide new learning opportunities which will enlarge the information space and facilitate regular learning of improved technologies and increase access to knowledge and skills. Opportunities provided by TECH-MODE were therefore exploited to continually update the knowledge and skills of facilitators and farmer groups.