Agriculture and Nature Conservation Primary Agriculture

Establish Sustainable Community Extension Structures Training

SAQA US 252478 | NQF 5 | Credits 10 | Duration 7 Days
From $1,523 per delegate

Description

This course equips learners with the skills to establish and sustain community extension structures that promote self-reliance and development. Participants will learn to facilitate community participation, manage resources, and implement monitoring systems to ensure long-term sustainability of extension initiatives.

Learning Outcomes

  • Apply principles of community development to establish sustainable extension structures.
  • Facilitate community participation in the planning and implementation of extension activities.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of extension structures using appropriate monitoring and evaluation tools.
  • Design strategies to ensure the long-term sustainability of community extension structures.
  • Demonstrate the ability to manage resources and resolve conflicts within extension structures.

Target Audience

Community development workers, extension officers, project coordinators, and anyone involved in establishing or managing community-based structures in South Africa.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment.

Course Outline

Day 1: Introduction to Community Extension Structures

Objectives:
• Understand the concept and purpose of community extension structures.
• Identify key stakeholders in community extension.
• Explain the role of sustainable structures in rural and urban development.
• Differentiate between formal and informal extension approaches.

Topics:
• Definition and principles of community extension.
• Historical context and evolution of extension services in South Africa.
• Types of extension structures: government, NGO, community-based.
• Stakeholder mapping and roles.
• Importance of sustainability in extension.
• Case studies of successful extension structures.

Day 2: Community Needs Assessment and Participatory Approaches

Objectives:
• Apply participatory methods to assess community needs.
• Analyze socio-economic and cultural factors influencing extension.
• Develop a needs assessment plan.
• Use tools like PRA and SWOT analysis.

Topics:
• Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) techniques.
• Conducting focus groups and surveys.
• SWOT analysis for community extension.
• Identifying community assets and gaps.
• Data collection and analysis methods.
• Ethical considerations in community engagement.

Day 3: Planning and Designing Sustainable Extension Programs

Objectives:
• Design a logical framework for an extension program.
• Set SMART objectives aligned with community needs.
• Develop a resource mobilization plan.
• Incorporate monitoring and evaluation indicators.

Topics:
• Logical Framework Approach (LFA).
• SMART objective setting.
• Budgeting and resource allocation.
• Risk management in extension projects.
• Stakeholder engagement strategies.
• Sustainability planning: financial, social, environmental.

Day 4: Implementation and Management of Extension Activities

Objectives:
• Implement extension activities using appropriate methods.
• Manage teams and volunteers effectively.
• Use communication strategies for behavior change.
• Adapt activities based on feedback.

Topics:
• Extension methods: demonstrations, field days, workshops.
• Leadership and team management.
• Communication for development.
• Conflict resolution in community settings.
• Adaptive management techniques.
• Record keeping and reporting.

Day 5: Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

Objectives:
• Design a monitoring and evaluation framework.
• Collect and analyze data to measure impact.
• Use findings for program improvement.
• Report outcomes to stakeholders.

Topics:
• M&E frameworks and indicators.
• Data collection tools: surveys, interviews, observations.
• Quantitative and qualitative analysis.
• Participatory evaluation methods.
• Learning and feedback loops.
• Reporting and documentation best practices.

Day 6: Institutional Strengthening and Partnership Building

Objectives:
• Strengthen local institutions for sustainable extension.
• Build effective partnerships with government and private sector.
• Develop capacity building plans for community leaders.
• Advocate for policy support.

Topics:
• Institutional capacity assessment.
• Partnership models and MOUs.
• Advocacy and lobbying techniques.
• Training of trainers (ToT) approaches.
• Resource mobilization from multiple sources.
• Policy frameworks affecting extension in South Africa.

Day 7: Integration, Scaling Up, and Sustainability Planning

Objectives:
• Develop a sustainability plan for extension structures.
• Explore scaling up strategies.
• Integrate extension into local government planning.
• Create an action plan for post-training implementation.

Topics:
• Sustainability assessment tools.
• Scaling up: replication, mainstreaming, diversification.
• Integration with IDP and sector plans.
• Exit strategies and handover.
• Action plan development.
• Course review and certification.

Practicals

No practicals for this training.

This course is made up of exercises and case studies delivered alongside the theory — no separate practical sessions are required to complete it.

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course and a final summative test at the end.

Daily Exercises — 30%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 30% to the final total.

Final Test — 70%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 70% to the overall mark.

Final Total
Component Out of Weight
Daily Average (multiple choice) 100% 30%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice) 100% 70%
Final Total 100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Daily Average 30% + Final Test 70%).

How it works
  • Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
  • Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
  • You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
  • If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.
Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.

Upcoming Training Sessions
Online training — attend live sessions from anywhere via our virtual classroom.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Thu 10 Sep 2026 Fri 18 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,523 Register
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Tue 07 Dec 2027 Wed 15 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,523 Register
Mon 27 Dec 2027 Tue 04 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,523 Register
Fri 21 Jan 2028 Mon 31 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,523 Register
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Tue 15 Jun 2027 Wed 23 Jun 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,982 Register
Mon 05 Jul 2027 Tue 13 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,982 Register
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Wed 15 Dec 2027 Thu 23 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,982 Register
Tue 04 Jan 2028 Wed 12 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,982 Register
Mon 24 Jan 2028 Tue 01 Feb 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,982 Register
Training Discounts
Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% off per 5 delegates, up to 40% for 100+

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