Extension 4.0: Embracing the Web of Disruptions and Transformations
The importance of communication processes and knowledge mobilization in supporting agri-food and rural development cannot be overstated. Traditionally, and still today, many developing nations depend on agricultural extension services—often referred to as ‘agricultural advisory’ or ‘rural advisory’ services—to help farmers and other rural stakeholders facilitate the adoption of valuable information, ideas and knowledge—whether it is communicated from research or otherwise.
The term extension 4.0 has been coined to recognize the evolutionary transformations of advisory & extension services, and a vision for realizing the excellence in Canadian agri-food & rural advisory, extension and education. Canada and most developed nations have seen many transformations in public extension service (extension 1.0) over the last three decades. Firstly, it was due to fiscal challenges and institutional transformation in the 1990s, which reduced public spending and decreased the role of public extension organizations, while later (2001 and onwards) supported the emergence of institutional pluralisms or what we call pluralistic advisory systems (extension 2.0). Secondly, the revolutionary development of social and online media facilitated the digitalization of advisory services and the emergence of extension 3.0, which many researchers (e.g., Lubell et al, 2014) consider extension and knowledge mobilization support as a function of creating, supporting, and strengthening networks, mainly in the digital spheres. Thirdly, since the 2010s, new and emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, precision agriculture, and the recent (2022) introduction of the Large Language Model (LLM) have influenced extension to the moment where we are anticipating enormous prospects and uncertainties. Are we moving from agricultural extension 3.0 (managing knowledge in the network age) to agricultural extension 4.0 where we can anticipate virtual agents taking up the roles of extension? What are the social, political, legal, cultural and institutional implications of these transformations? How do we deal with the dark side of the intentional nature of information? What is the readiness of knowledge intermediaries and farmer clients to realize their roles and functions within the digitally mediated participation and communication ecosystem while there is a growing concern about the hegemonic nature of data and technologies?