The Comparison of Organizational Structure and the Context of Rural Development by Agricultural Extension System at Grassroots Level between Thailand and China

Abstract

This study focused on comparison of rural development by agricultural extension system at grassroots level and their contexts between Thailand and China. Difference in contexts such as ecology, society, economy and policy has made Thailand and China differentiate in setting up of agricultural extension system at the grassroots level. Agricultural Technology Transfer and Service Center (ATTC) at sub-district level, the lowest level of extension institution in Thailand, was established in 1999 to fulfill the policies of decentralization, participation, bottom-up to top-down direction, and provide the integrated service to farmers through "onestop service". The core structure of ATTC is the steering committee, who is elected from local farmers and other sectors that represent the community to make developing plans in a participatory way under the help of facilitators from governmental institutions and volunteer groups. ATTC is the center not only for technology transfer, but also for integrated service, coordination and information. To the large extent, ATTC represents the broader socio-economic, people-centered agricultural extension. Meanwhile China has Township Agricultural Techniques Extension Station (TATES) at the grassroots level of extension institution. TATES, compared with ATTC in Thailand, is a conventional extension agency that adopts technical-driven development methodology. Organizational structure of TATES was set up by the classification of different agricultural sectors, like field crop, fishery, animal husbandry, agricultural machinery and agricultural economy, which are called "five stations". In addition most of the TATES have the input sales branches. The extension agencies in TATES are mainly the same responsible for transfer technology through direction to and cooperation with the demonstration farmer households as in ATTC. It is noticeable that China has advocated multi-faced extension approaches, so should the extension agencies, education, research institutions, and private sectors can jointly play roles on the arena of rural development by non-profitable or profitable manners.