suggestions that can maximize the value of extension systems which

will exist anyway.

 Just as water obeys laws of gravity and flows downhill, agri-

cultural extension systems naturally tend to help those who control

the system. Thus the crucial question is what forces control the

agricultural extension system. Control over extension systems can

be exercised at the center, through rigid bureaucratic and personnel

regulations, or it can be deconcentrated to agents stationed in the

field but responsible to and closely monitored by the center. Both of

these approaches will be considered "centralized systems." Alternatively,

control can be decentralized to local agencies, who can hire and fund

personnel and specify program ends. This approach will be called a

"decentralized system."

 For extension to help the rural poor is analogous to water

flowing uphill. Water does, of course, flow uphill, when a pump

applied pressure or suction, and when pipes confine its flow.

Similarly, it is possible for an extension service to help the poor.

It must be pushed by strong centralized management and pulled by rural

local organizations with real power. Just as pumps can be turned off

or break and pipes can clog or rust, however, administrative pressure

and local organizations may cease to be effective after a period of

time. A complex, delicate balance that somehow combines the