Dr. Sanford,
 
I read your message in Apinet-l.
 
I work in a research center in Mexico: "La Posta", it belongs to
INIFAP(National Institute of Research in Forestry, Agriculture and
Animal Science), which is part of SAGAR (Agriculture and Rural
Development Secretariat), and I would like to comment the following:
 
> 1. Extension education models
 
In Mexico honey bee research is mainly held at some Universities and at
three INIFAP research centers (La Posta, in Veracruz; Tizimin, in
Yucatan, and CENID Fisiologia, in Queretaro).
 
Extension work is done by INIFAP, the PNPCAA (National Program to
Control the Africanized Bee), belonging to SAGAR, and by tha
"Postgraduates College".
 
About extension (all kinds of farm animals, including bees), INIFAP
publishes booklets, offer lectures and at La Posta and some other
centers, holds symposia and offers a "Demonstration Day". Not every year
the honey bee is part of the "Demonstration", but it often is.
 
The PNPCAA organized courses, offers lectures, was the responsible for
tramping swarms at the beginning of the africanization process.
 
The Postgraduates college carries its extension work in honey bees
following a model developed by INIFAP, that is called "GGAVATT"
(Producers Group for Validation and Transference of Technologies). The
model GGAVATT is used in all species: cattle, pigs, etc. and consists of
preparing technology packages to be transfered, then collaborating
farmers apply at least some of them, while an extensionist follows the
results.
 
2. Funding extension education, has traditionally been via Federal
budget, but now some alternatives are apparently desirable.
 
Thank you for your attention,
 
Teresa Garcia