of education or training. They will have become accustomed to
focusing on immediate and practical issues.
You should avoid trying to promote learning that relies
heavily on memorization. You should seize any chance to
reinforce the learning of new ideas and procedures by
giving opportunities for application and practice.

Whether we consider the general principles that underlie effective
learning or whether we focus on the particular orientations to
learning of adults, we are led to conclude that to maximize the
active participation of farmers in the learning process is the most
effective way to proceed. What often stands in the way of doing this
are traditional attitudes to education and training, that put too
much faith in one-way communication processes.
To help in the development of progressive farmers we need
to be progressive educators. We need to develop for our-
selves flexible, participatory extension methods which not
only respect the adultnesss" of farmers but also promote
their learning much more effectively than rigid, transmit-
tal methods of communication.

The difference between participatory and transmittal modes of
extension work is the theme of the next chapter.