IJSDIS: Volume 1 Issue 6 November 2010 15 Int. J. Soc. Dev. Inf. Syst. 1(6): 15-21, November 2010 An online Journal of “G-Science Implementation and Publication”, website: www.gurpukur.com or www.gscience.net CONTRIBUTION OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION TO SOCIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE ERA OF GLOBALIZATION R. ROY 1 , M. SHIVAMURTHY 2 and R. B. RADHAKRISHNA 3 ABSTRACT Agricultural extension is in transition. This paper reviews and synthesizes this past research in order to estimate linkages among agricultural growth, rural development and poverty alleviation, gender contribution and extension pluralism for socio-economic development. The study reported here agriculture has a well-established record as an instrument for poverty reduction and can act as an engine of growth for the agriculture-based countries. Gender contribution to the socio-economic development is marked by considerable diversity, and influenced by factors unique to the specific community and household in question. Pluralism of extension services is inclusive and recognizes the existence and value of various organizations with different realities. However, extension pluralism embraces a broadened mandate for agricultural extension with increase emphasis on rural livelihood approach for socio-economic development. The study was carried out in the Department of Agricultural Extension of University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, India during July 2010 to October 2010. Keywords: Agriculture, Extension and Development. INTRODUCTION In the 21 st century, agriculture continues to be a fundamental instrument for sustainable development and poverty reduction. Agriculture remains the main source of income for around 2.5 billion people in the developing world (FAO, 2003). The impact of the agricultural sector is wide-ranging and extends to economic growth, food security, poverty reduction, livelihoods rural development and the environment. Moreover, the poorest half of the population benefits significantly more from agricultural growth than growth in other sectors of the economy (United Nations, 2008). Nevertheless, despite evidence that investment in agriculture has beneficial impacts on agricultural growth and poverty reduction (Fan and Rao, 2003), since 1980 there has been a decline or stagnation in public expenditure on agriculture in most developing countries (Akroyd and Smith, 2007). Likewise, the proportion of official development assistance (ODA) going to agriculture has also declined from around 18 per cent in 1979 to 3.5 per cent in 2004 (World Bank, 2007). Agricultural education, extension, and advisory services are the critical means of addressing rural poverty, because such institutions have a mandate to transfer technology, support learning, assist farmers in problem solving, and enable farmers to become more actively embedded in the agricultural knowledge and information system (Christoplos and Kidd, 2000). Anderson (2007) defined the terms agricultural extension and advisory services as “the entire set of organizations that support and facilitate people engaged in agricultural production to solve problems and to obtain information, skills and technologies to improve their livelihoods”. As agriculture and socio-economic development has gained renewed attention in recent years because of globalization and trade liberalization. International concern over the environment, natural resource management and women’s empowerment have brought special impetus to intersecting discussions of agriculture, economic development, poverty reduction, and livelihood strategies in rural and urban spaces. Many of these discussions have cast new light on gender issues in agriculture, given women’s central role in household food security, health, and nutrition. In recent years, many developing countries have reaffirmed the essential role of agricultural extension on socio-economic development. This renewed interest in extension is linked to the rediscovery of the role that agriculture needs to play in reducing persistent rural poverty. What are linkages among agricultural growth, rural development and poverty alleviation? What are the contributions of gender in agricultural development in the era of globalization? And what is extension pluralism for socio-economic development? With this background this paper has been designed with the following objectives are: i. to estimate linkages among agricultural growth, rural development and poverty 1 Ranjan Roy, Lecturer, Department of Agricultural Extension & Information System, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, 2 M. Shivamurthy, Professor, Department of Agricultural Extension, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, India, 3 R. B. Radhakrishna, Full Bright Scholar & Professor, Department of Agricultural & Extension Education, The Pennsylvania State University, USA.