The book as a whole reflects the work of members of GDI's Agricultural Administration (Research and Extension) network which the author organised until 1987 and which, over the previous five years, concentrated on agricultural extension management.

Two of the five papers first appeared as network discussion papers, and some of his own ideas first appeared as a discussion paper in 1984 as 'Conditions for the Design and Management of Agricultural Extension'.  

The paper by Cousins appears for the first time and Byerlee's paper is adapted from work originally undertaken at Michigan State. Some parts of the concluding chapter are drawn from a paper the author prepared in 1984 for a World Bank workshop on Extension and Research in Kenya.