Interrogating Agricultural e-Extension: A Phenomenological Study of the Lives Experiences of Agricultural Extension Workers in the Visayas during a Crisis or Public Emergency

Abstract

The sociological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic forced government and private agencies to cease operations, including agricultural extension practices. On the other hand, as the catalyst, capacity-builder, and knowledge bank of the Philippine Agriculture and Fisheries Extension System, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), under the Department of Agriculture (DA), launched the e-Extension in the late 2000s, which is an electronic delivery of extension services through its e-Learning and e-Farming components. Set in the Western Visayas Region, Philippines, this research aims to interrogate the e-Extension through the lived experiences of the Agricultural Extension Workers (AEWs) during crises or public emergencies. The qualitative research study was rooted in an interpretivist design using thematic analysis to interpret the lived experience of twelve (12) AEWs, which was determined using specific criteria. It revealed that AEWs perceived e-Extension as “extension beyond boundaries,” social media, particularly Messenger, as alert systems, and mobile phones as an extension delivery tool. Participants defined e-Extension as not confined to a single technology outlet. While embracing “communicating at a distance”, AEWs present themselves as soldiers of agriculture who surmount the boundless space of the crisis. The definition of e-Extension widened beyond its mandated program. The program became incorporated into everyday work, signifying a structural reconfiguration of agricultural services that was embedded during and beyond the crisis.