Extensionists as mediators of agricultural skill ecosystems
A study from North India
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19220545 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Trent Brown (0000-0001-9895-3130, The University of Tokyo, corresponding author), Devesh Thakur (Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya), Manoj Sharma (0000-0002-5310-0748, Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 125 |
| Pages | 104220-104220 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-20 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Rural Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0743-0167 • E-ISSN: 1873-1392 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104220 |
| OpenAlex | W7161816179 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 32 |
One of the roles of agricultural extension is to help farmers upgrade their skills and/or develop new skills. Yet, skills are not developed through singular training interventions; their refinement requires practice and support from various actors and institutions. A ‘social ecosystems’ framework can help clarify the role of extension in developing agricultural skills in complex social and institutional settings. Through interviews with agricultural extension officers from State Agricultural Universities and Krishi Vigyan Kendras in northern India's Himalayan region, this study examines how extensionists function as ‘mediators’ within social ecosystems. We distinguish between two types of mediation: institutional mediation —connecting farmers with formal institutions' supports and resources—and social mediation —helping farmers navigate social barriers that constrain skill development and utilisation. Our findings reveal that while extensionists routinely engage in institutional mediation, social mediation occurs inconsistently. The study documents substantive – but often institutionally invisible – extensionist mediation work, identifies factors that enable or constrain effective mediation, and explores how other actors—including government departments, NGOs, and input vendors—complement extensionist mediation. We conclude with recommendations for better supporting extensionist mediation and consider implications for the development of the social ecosystems model as a tool for analysing extension systems
Agricultural management · Agriculture · North east · North india · Work (physics) · Agricultural Systems and Practices · Diverse Educational Innovations Studies · Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Agriculture
Creating self-sustaining, high-skill ecosystems
The mediating role of further and higher education in a Just Transition social ecosystem
Humanising agricultural extension
From Ecosystems to Advicescapes
How to be a good rural extensionist. Reflections and contributions of Argentine practitioners
What knowledge is required to grow food? A framework for understanding horticulture's skills ‘crisis’
Model farmers, extension networks and the politics of agricultural knowledge transfer
Rural social enterprises as embedded intermediaries
Towards a new paradigm for rural extensionists’ in-service training
Contributions to group work and to the management of collective processes in extension and rural development
Skills to stay
Hāth se sīkhna
Behaviour and attitudes
Skill ecosystems in the global South
The Pyraveekar
Geographies of mediation
The Developmental State Is Dead-Long Live Social Capital
Agency, Injury, and Transgressive Politics in Neoliberal Times
The marketing of corporate agrichemicals in Western India
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |