An extension agent may have information about a new government policy or agricultural practice, in which case he or she will want to introduce this new information, seek the opinions of community members and gain their support for extension activities. On the other hand, the agent may want to start a discussion about local issues and development potential, in which case the information will come from those attending the meeting rather than the agent. There are, in fact, several possible purposes for such community or group meetings, in each of which the agent has a different role to play. These include:
Information meetings where an extension agent calls the group or community together to communicate a specific piece of new information which it is felt will benefit them and to listen to their reactions.
Planning meetings the main purpose of which is to review a particular problem, suggest a number of solutions and decide upon a course of action.
Special interest meetings at which topics of specific interest to a particular group of people, such as egg production and marketing, bee keeping or dairy farming, are presented and discussed in detail at a level relevant to those participating.
General community meetings where everyone is invited to attend to discuss issues of general community interest. It is a good idea to hold such general meetings occasionally so as to avoid any section of the community feeling that it is excluded from extension activities. Sometimes, a meeting may be called because a problem or misunderstanding has arisen concerning an extension programme which needs to be resolved at the level of the whole community. Ideally, men, women and young people should all participate in general community meetings so that all points of view are represented.
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