International experiences show that the working of agricultural extension is provided by many kinds of sources. It is usually the state that undertakes the greatest role, and that, in the majority of cases, can be as much as 100 per cent. In recent years, however, a process has started up in Western-European countries that aim at reducing government participation and the privatisation of extension systems. In the Hungarian extension system, the direction of reform year by year is opposite to this. What extent can we reach by going towards the extension supported by the state? When do those factors emerge in Hungary that is present among the Western European Countries which run in the direction of privatisation? In this paper we examine the sources utilised by extension and the reasons of the privatisation process.