Extension education approaches on environmental management in Southern Tagalog, Philippines

The study attempted to describe and analyze STRAP [Southern Tagalog Rural Assistance Programs] and SPP [Solidarity for Peoples' Power] management in terms of their objectives, mission, resources, organization and funding; identify the extension education approaches employed, assess the effects of the approaches used in terms of the community partner's knowledge, and attitude level toward some environmental issues; and identify the problems and issues related to the use of the extension education approaches. Guide questions and participant-observation guided the researcher in data collection. Frequencies, percentage and average weighted means were used in analyzing the effect of the extension education approaches on the end-users' knowledge and attitude level toward some environmental issues. The projects/activities of STRAP were on organizational building support program, technology development and dissemination, watershed rehabilitation and protection and community-based environmental education, SPP's projects' activities were focused on environmental campaign to save Mt. Makiling and Laguna Lake [Philippines] and campaign against quarrying and land-use conversion. From the findings, different extension education approaches were utilized by STRAP and SPP in implementing their environmental projects. These extension approaches were agricultural extension approach, resource-sharing and participatory agricultural extension approach. In the case of STRAP, there were indigenous extension education approaches utilized i.e. farmer-to-farmer and on-site training. These strategies were developed in response to their projects and end-users (farmers). On the other hand, one of the SPP's extension education strategies utilized was community organizing as a vehicle for campaigning on environmental issues. Although the same extension education approaches were utilized by the STRAP and SPP, there were some variations/modifications on the manner the approaches were used. The presence of the NGO's [nongovernmental organization] in the area resulted to the increase of community partners' knowledge and attitude level toward some environmental issues which led to their participation on environmental activities