Design and Practice of Local Agricultural Extension based on a Knowledge Management System in Purworejo Regency, Central Java, Indonesia

Good practices of agricultural extension activity require a set of objectives which are arranged through a well design of extension planning. To fulfill and facilitate various farmer’s needs, extension workers should make and manage the extension materials to support extension practices based on their knowledge that has been readjusted to the existing local conditions. Knowledge Management System (KMS) in agricultural sector helps the extension workers to understand the important and urgency in combining explicit and tacit knowledge which very supportive on various extension activities. Focus of this research is to describe the design and implementation KMS by agricultural extension workers at local level. This research has been conducted in Purworejo Regency Central Java with the embedded design of mixed method approach. The research result shows that 35 extension workers although still face several limitations have implemented the KMS basic principles. The process was started from the knowledge creation through websites and other digital sources combined with conventional media, followed by knowledge organization and storage by using information system managed by Ministry of Agriculture (SIMLUHTAN) and digital storage. The final stage was knowledge sharing via WhatsApp and conventional media to other extension workers and targeted farmers and knowledge implementation by reusing and modifying their knowledge as agricultural extension’s materials. Keywords: Extension workers, design, knowledge management system, practice, agricultural extension.