When agricultural extension is used to achieve rural development goals, it functions for wider purposes. For instance it deals with non-farm rural development such as rural micro enterprise development and marketing. Extending the function of extension beyond that of agriculture is becoming common practice in Ethiopia. Considering the diversification of livelihoods in the agriculture and non-agriculture sector for rural development it seems appropriate for extension to play the wider role of rural extension in this case. With regards to agricultural diversification, extension methodologies can be used for crop production, livestock, natural resource conservation, and nutrition, etc. In some cases it can be based on the types of livelihoods people for example, pastoral extension, and in other case it uses agro-ecology as base such as in the case of dry land areas extension. In other words, based upon its application and use, various nomenclatures are given. There are other emerging purposes of extension due to the rapid socio-economic changes taking place in both urban and rural areas. These may serve to create new audiences and new programmes reflecting these changes. Some of the likely purposes extension could take include food security, youth development in the food processing, food safety, environment and climate change, entrepreneurship development and related development programmes.

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1.The Concept and Functions of Extension