Public Engagement in Agricultural Extension Activities: Issues and Challenges in Science Communication for Rural Development

Abstract

The most notable shift that has occurred in the connection between science and society during the past three decades is the rise in the amount of financial support provided by private organizations for scientific investigation. Private funding of science is not a new phenomenon; prior to World War II, it was likely the norm. Enlightenment-era (eighteen century) ideals about science as a 'common good' were revived after World War II by extensive state funding that concentrated research operations at public research universities in developed countries. It is no longer accepted as a given that advances in science and technology would invariably result in benefits for society progress. Science and technology (S&T) are equated with 'progress' in modernism. The expectation that science and technology (S&T) will provide solutions to all of the world's problems promotes a form of messianism. The unrestricted application of science to enhance food production, boost productivity to address food insecurity, expand communication technologies, will erase all of the world's problems, including starvation, suffering, inequality, and moral conflict. This will make the world a better place for everyone.