soil-conservation-people-religion-and-land.pdf - South West NRM

the field and the proportion of existing staff given the
opportGIE1;'ty to upgrade their professional training in
extenS--ii&through in-service and on-campus courses.
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Since the withdrawal of C.E.S.G. funds the position of
extension has declined considerably. Of the institutions
presently offering extension courses, Melbourne University has
had to wind down its programme, Hawkesbury has shifted its
emphasis away from the prime shere of sustainable crop and
animal production and only. Queensland university is offering
balanced courses in professional extension. The present
situation has led some state departments to send extension
staff overseas to institutions such as Lincoln in New Zealand
and Illinois in the United States,
This offshore drift should be the cause for serious rethinking
of the Australian extension education situation and
requires early corrective change if sound land management is
to be achieved at an acceptable rate in Australia.
Racruired Chanues An analysis of the demise of extension as a
professional career indicates that a series of simultaneous
changes in the policy and practice of soil conservation
extension is required if the "bottom line8 of nationwide
adoption of sound land management is to become a reality.
Starting at the workface, extension officers will require the
motivation and skills required in inter-personal communication
to become more effective tlsalesmenn than is presently the
case. This commitment and ability will only come with the
establishment of departmental structures which provide
promotion and on-going rewards to those who make a career of
developing a professional attitude toward their extension work
(as compared to those who see the rewards in research and do
not regard extension as a satisfying use of research time).
The departmental post structure will, in turn, be dependent on
the department and government giving priority to effective
extension and putting in place procedures for measuring the
success of their extension services. Such priority will only
be e _ - e state governments appreciate the need to act
urg
comprehensively to control the nation's greatest
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The reasons for land degradation being a political non-event
in the past have been documented elsewhere (Roberts, 1987a)
together with the rationale for informed specialists to assist
in putting soil consenration on the states1 political agenda
without delay.
Recornrnendations
1. That a national education programme be coordinated to
increase awareness of the socio-economic significance of
land degradation.