The Genesis and Concept
Experience gained from better organized and established extension services in the food farming sector clearly indicate that in addition to a dedicated and efficient extension services network, appropriate extension approach is also needed to provide definite direction to the programme operation and to amplify its impacts. Depending upon the existing socio-economic and cultural setting, knowledge, skill, experience and education levels, the needs and requirements of the client groups, their location, transportation facilities and in the background of overall national aquaculture development programme, several approaches and strategies could be designed.
Appropriate approaches are usually designed while keeping two main objectives in mind. The first being to get closer to the client groups and get familiar with their wants and needs, tradition and culture, resources and constraints and potential for development, existing knowledge and skill, farming practices being followed, marketing and pricing of the products etc. Once a close relationship is established and these information are available, the next objective is to draw their interest and active participation in solving their problems, plan common action for improving their existing aquaculture practices and attract new entrants. Approaches are drawn to ensure achieving the extension objectives at a faster rate with economy of time and resources.
The TDS approach of aquaculture extension is a participatory farmer to farmers extension approach which involves an initial bottom-up participatory planning of extension programme and thereafter a lateral spread of knowledge and skills of improved culture technology. TDS ensures an active flow of information from the Result Demonstration Farmers (RDFs) to the Fellow Fish Farmers (FFs) by involving both categories of participating farmers in the extension programme.
The TDS approach of aquaculture was developed and successfully demonstrated in Bangladesh, though on a limited scale, by the FAO / UNDP project “Institutional Strengthening in the Fisheries Sector” (BGD/87/045) during 1990-1993 (Karim, 1997). The project also recommended the strengthening and institutionalizing of the aquaculture extension services under the Department of Fisheries (DOF), Government of Bangladesh. Convinced by the viability and sustainability of the TDS approach, the Government of Bangladesh submitted a formal request to the FAO for assistance under Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) with the main objective of demonstrating the TDS system on a pilot scale. As requested, the FAO assistance was made available in the form of a FAO TCP project “Strengthening Pond Fish Culture Extension”. The project successfully demonstrated the application of TDS of aquaculture extension on a pilot scale in 52 out of 64 districts of the country during 1994-96. The pilot scale operation also helped in further fine tuning of the approach.
As an initial step, an aquaculturists group was organized at the village level and by employing the Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) technique, a broad based participatory assessment was made about the size and type of aquaculture resources, local availability of essential inputs, status of farming practices, local farming skill, ability to mobilize the extraneous inputs, constraints, etc. In the background of such information and with due considerations to the existing socio-economic environment, needs and problems of the local communities, appropriate alternative technology packages were suggested. Once the interest was visible, Result Demonstration Farmers (RDFs) were selected with the consent of the group to take up the appropriate culture technology for trial. Adequate extension support was extended to the RDFs through repeated short time instructional training and periodical home/pond visits to conduct the demonstration of the selected aquaculture technologies in their ponds. Once the crop attained the presentable stage they were encouraged and assisted to organize practical training for their Fellow Farmers (FFs) by demonstrating the various steps of culture technology and displaying the crop. The role of the RDFs was constantly highlighted and appreciated and that helped in raising his/her status in the community and therefore acted as a valuable incentive for them. RDFs were thus groomed as voluntary extension workers who worked on behalf of the Department of Fisheries. This inspired the RDFs to take more interest in propagating the aquaculture technology in the surroundings. In the subsequent cropping cycles some of the FFs came forward to take up similar demonstration function and thereby graduated to become RDFs and in turn involve other farmers as FFs. This chain of events went on in the farming community.
The approach had helped in developing an “extension” culture among the senior as well as field staff of the DOF and institutionalizing the aquaculture extension services system under the DOF. It seems relevant to mention that unlike in the agriculture sector where primary activity is extension, the fisheries sector has multi-faceted responsibilities ranging from management of fisheries/aquaculture resources under the state/public ownership such as rivers, lakes, reservoirs, flood plains etc., to provision of extension services to fish farmers and fishers communities. Additionally, most of such resources are remotely located, as a result accessibility by public transport system is extremely difficult.
Encouraged by the good results, the Government of Bangladesh launched a nation wide project on aquaculture extension based on TDS approach through its own funding in 1996.
Conceptual Illustration of TDS
