Role of field level extension officers in development interventions: Evidence from Sabaragamuwa Province in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The government of Sri Lanka implemented a range of developmental interventions to eliminate poverty by enhancing agricultural productivity, income diversification and economic growth in rural areas. The "Divineguma" (Livelihood upliftment) program was one such massive-scale livelihood improvement program that had multiple interventions at different levels. The intermediaries who link the government and the beneficiaries are the field-level extension officers (EOs). The beneficiaries have severely criticized the field-level extension service, especially the assistance on agricultural interventions. This study was done to examine the roles of the field-level EOs and beneficiaries’ perceptions regarding the knowledge, skills, and personal qualities of the EOs in the implementation of this rural development program, with special relevance to home gardens. A survey study was carried out in the Elapata Divisional Secretary division in Ratnapura district with a sample size of 150 beneficiaries. Beneficiaries perceived that the EO’s were influential in the startup motives of the participants but in follow-up roles, which are the most important roles for the success of the home garden program, were not fulfilled by these EOs. The participants also perceived that the field-level EOs were not well prepared when communicating with the participants and always neglected the importance of feedback in the communication process and they were not fully committed to the activities related to the home garden program. This study reveals that policymakers should constantly review the performance of the EOs and assess their training requirements.