Managing the agricultural research, extension, and farmer-clientele systems' communication interface in a state University [Mariano Marcos State University, Batac, Ilocos Norte, Philippines]

This case study was conducted to determine how the different linkage mechanisms that operationalized the agricultural research, extension, and farmer-clientele systems' interface in the Mariano Marcos State University [Batac, Ilocos Norte, Philippines]. The nine linkage mechanisms identified are: farmers' meetings, farmers' trainings, field visits, field days, establishment and maintenance of demonstration farms, informal consultations, development and production of communication materials, field trips and tours, and research and development symposia. MMSU was the major source of funds of these linkage mechanisms. However, funding agencies of special projects as well as the farmer-participants also shared a part of the mechanisms' financial requirements. Researchers and extension personnel were motivated to participate in these activities because they wanted to teach new agricultural technologies to farmers; and farmers wanted to learn such to increase their expected production. Most of these linkage mechanisms were among the programmed activities of the extension system, thus they were most actively involved in managing these. Researchers, though they also helped in managing the said activities, were particularly more active in the conduct of field days. The farmer-clients also cooperatively managed all the linkage mechanisms, but they were not involved in planning, organizing, and controlling some of these. Generally, the respondents perceived the linkage mechanisms as very important in almost all phases of the theory-to-practice sequence of agricultural development. Likewise, these were very effective in terms of achieving the expected interfacing outputs. The most common problems encountered in these mechanisms were time constraints, unavailability of vehicles for outreach activities, financial constraints, and poor coordination