however, the central government is more concerned with an agricultural

system geared to urban needs, and if the countryside is reasonably

egalitarian, decentralization may serve the needs of the rural poor

better. Finally, of course, where the central political system is

concerned primarily with urban needs, and where this is closely

linked to a strong rural elite, it may be unrealistic to expect

any extension system by itself to be particularly beneficial to the

rural poor.


3. Modes of Communication

 Effective and efficient communication of information to

 target audiences is, of course, a critical aspect of extension, and

 much discussion about extension naturally has focused on this topic.

 Two types of issues seem particularly important in this regard,

 namely, the relationship between the content and form of the message, and

the extent to which'the form of the message generates an inter-

active process with the audience.

 a. Content and Form

 A wide range of communication media exists: newspapers,

 radio, television, cinema, film strips, tape recordings, books,

 magazines, posters, flannel boards, theater, puppet shows, group

 discussions, individual discussion. Various practitioners have found

 different forms particularly useful. Probably the easy mistake is to

 believe that one particular form of communication is best. Undoubt-

 edly, the suitability of a mode of communication is related to many

 environmental factors, including the cultural context (for example,

 is theater popular? are people literate?) and level of economic

 development.