Purpose: As a new channel for agricultural extension, university-based agricultural extension is changing the traditional pattern of agricultural extension in China. This study reveals the mechanism through which policy affects the performance of university-based agricultural extension. Design/methodology/approach: Based on Rhodes' policy network…

In order to realise the strategic aim of constructing new socialist rural communities in the 21st century, "new farmers' education" has been placed on the Chinese government's agenda and will soon become a very important issue of Chinese adult education in both research and its practice. As an adult educational researcher I first…

This paper discusses the transition from a national focus on food security during the last half of the 20th century to an emerging strategy on helping small-scale farm households increase farm income to reduce rural poverty. The basic proposition is that if extension is going to help increase farm incomes and rural employment, then it must shift…

Examines the ongoing rural transformation in China in relation to agricultural reforms and the implementation of changing rural educational policies. Compares the Chinese decentralized approach to rural education, involving two-way rural-urban linkages and other alternative networks, to the American extension system. 21 references. (SV)