Examining Privately-‐led Extension Approaches Targe9ng Smallholder Farmers in Developing
Countries: Preliminary Findings* Miguel I. Gómez, Cornell University
Benjamin Mueller, University of Illinois Mary Kate Wheeler, Cornell University
A Modernizing Extension and Advisory Services Event Washington D.C., June 2 2015
* The authors are grateful to Romane Viennet, Maria Jones, Oliver Ferguson, Cayla Mar>n, Andrea Bohn, and Paul McNamara for their valuable contribu>on to this work.
Outline
1. Context and justification
2. Research Approach
3. Preliminary results
4. Key takeaways and questions
• Rapid transformation in agri-food industries has generated global supply chains capable of linking small farmers in to high value markets (Reardon et al. 2009)
• Declining role of public programs to support small farmers
through research and extension (Anderson and Feder 2004) • Public, private and civil society actors share an interest in
understanding how global changes in food value chains and public services affect smallholder farmers (Gomez et al. 2011)
Context
Context: Dynamic forces shape the provision of extension services:
New extension arrangements, delivery modes and services
New agri-food supply chains can link small
farmers to high value markets
Reduced funding and political
have weakened public extension
systems
Evolving definition of
“extension and advisory services"
Rising consumer demand for food
safety, quality and traceability
Motivation
• Over 400 million farmers operate on less that 2 hectares of land (Nagayets 2005)
• Almost 75% of the world's poor are subsistence farmers (Huivo, Kola and Lundström 2005)
• Smallholder agricultural systems are increasingly managed by women (Saito et al. 1994)
• Agriculture is "a driver of growth and poverty reduction” in rural areas (World Bank 2007)
• Modern value chains offer opportunities to meet consumer demand while addressing development goals (Reardon et al. 2009)
Critical Questions
§ Can private sector activities in developing countries reduce poverty and food insecurity by improving conditions for small farmers?
§ How do new arrangements involving the private sector influence provision of information and advisory services to small farmers?
§ How might partnerships among public, private and civil society actors support private sector engagement with small farmers while ensuring that development objectives are realized for all?
1. Characterize emerging extension models led by private organizations, including their objectives, strategies, tactics, and outcomes.
2. Use the findings to identify important features of successful extension programs that involve both private sector actors and small farmers.
Research Objectives
Contribution
Previous conceptual work has focused on: • Extension as a public vs. private good • Changing role of government in supporting extension • Private company motivations to engage with small
farmers
Case studies document successes/challenges to privately-led extension programs Our empirical approach complements previous work by comparing private sector extension models across regions and sectors
Methodology
Survey Design Implementation
• Contacted over 400 organizations by email
• Posted announcements on MEAS and GFRAS websites
• Analysis based on 78 completed
surveys
• Received 101 completed surveys to date
Survey Components: 1. Organizational structure
2. Partnership arrangements
3. Extension activities
4. Extension educator training
5. Objectives & outcomes
6. Open-ended questions: • Mission statement • Keys to success • Barriers to success • Future opportunities • Financial sustainability • Scaling up
Results: Organizational Characteristics
45%
37%
7%
5% 5%
1%
Organiza9onal Type Private Business
Non-‐profit Organiza9on
Farmer Based Organiza9on
Social Enterprise
Research Ins9tu9on
Public Organiza9on
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Africa Asia & Pacific Islands
La9n America & Caribbean
Organiza9onal Type by Region
Results: Organizational Characteristics
28%
47%
25%
Organiza9onal Scope
Sub-‐na9onal
Na9onal
Interna9onal 0
5
10
15
20
25
Africa Asia & Pacific Islands
La9n America & Caribbean
Organiza9onal Scope by Region
Results: Organizational Characteristics
0
5
10
15
20
25
Africa Asia & Pacific Islands
La9n America & Caribbean
Value Chain Role by Region
13%
21%
30%
36%
Value Chain Role Upstream: supplier to farmers
Downstream: buyer of farm products
Both upstream and downstream
Suport: provider of other services
Results: Partnership Arrangements
Yes 69%
No 31%
Public Private Partnership (PPP)
0
10
20
30
40
50
Africa Asia & Pacific Islands
La9n America & Caribbean
PPP by Region
Yes No
Public
NGO FBO
Private (For Profit)
2
3 11
20
2 4
1 8
4 2 1
Results: Partnership Arrangements
Institutional Arrangements for Implementation § No examples of shared
public-private implementation without NGO or FBO involvement.
§ High representation of private-only implementation strategies
§ High heterogeneity in implementation strategies
Results: Partnership Arrangements
Institutional Arrangements for Funding Public
NGO FBO or Farmer Fees
Private (For Profit)
5
3 9
12
2 8
7 6
12 2 3 3
§ More public-private collaboration on funding compared to implementation
§ About half of partnerships are completely funded by private sector
Results: Extension Activities
-‐ 500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000
Africa
La9n America & Caribbean
Asia & Pacific Islands
# Farmers
Total Extension Reach
Results: Extension Activities
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
printed handouts
moble phones (tex9ng, apps)
radio
print media (newspaper, magazine)
internet (blogs, websites)
television
social media
Prevalence of Communica9on Technologies
Results: Extension Educator Training
Educa-on Level 1 = Primary School 2 = Secondary School 3 = Technical/Voca9onal 4 = College 5 = Graduate School
1
2
3
4
5
Africa Asia & Pacific Islands
La9n America & Caribbean
Educa-
on Level
Average Educa9on Level by Region
Results: Extension Educator Training
Training Frequency 1 = Rarely 2 = Annually 3 = Monthly 4 = Biweekly 5 = Weekly
1
2
3
4
5
Africa Asia & Pacific Islands
La9n America & Caribbean
Training Frequ
ency
Average Training Frequency by Region
Results: Extension Educator Training
1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0
agronomy & produc9on
communica9on and adult educa9on
sustainable agriculture & natural resource management
community organizing
business management & entrepreneurism
working with marginalized groups
research skills
Average Importance of Extension Educator Skills 1 = low; 2 = medium; 3 = high
Results: Evaluation & Outcomes
45%
44%
5% 6%
Internal vs External Evalua-on
programs are evaluated internally both internal and external
programs are evaluated externally other
29%
21%
50%
Evalua-on Process
formal evalua9on process
informal evalua9on process
both formal and informal
92% of respondents indicate that evalua9on includes farmer feedback
Results: Evaluation & Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
increase produc9vity
reliable supply of agricultural product
increase product quality
increase market access for farmers
promote technology adop9on
improve quality of life for farmers
improve farm business management
improvements for marginalized groups
reduce poverty
Average Performance Scores by Region 1 = poor; 5 = excellent
Africa
Asia & Pacific Islands La9n America & Caribbean
Results: Evaluation & Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
increase produc9vity
reliable supply of agricultural product
increase product quality
increase market access for farmers
promote technology adop9on
improve quality of life for farmers
improve farm business management
improvements for marginalized groups
reduce poverty
Average Performance Scores by Organiza-onal Type (1 = poor; 5 = excellent)
Private Business or Social Enterprise
NGO or FBO
Results: Preliminary Observations from Econometric Models Associa9on between Extensions Tac9cs and Outcomes
Type of Outcome Extension Tac-cs
Increased produc9vity Financial services (++); farmer-‐to-‐buyer networking (+)
Improved product quality Financial services (++); farmer-‐to-‐buyer networking (++); business development (+); informa9on and communica9on technologies (+)
Increased market access Financial services (++); strengthen producer groups (+)
Improved livelihoods ?
Alleviate poverty Farmer field schools (+)
Improve env. management Demonstra9on plots (+); farmer field schools (+)
Build management capacity Lead farmer approach (+)
Results: Extension Mission Common Elements:
• Market access: commercialization, farm business management
• Productivity: technical assistance, traditional extension approaches
• Social objectives: health & safety, food security & nutrition, prevent child labor
• Environmental objectives: sustainable natural resource management
• Innovation: technology transfer, applied research, ICTs
• Collaboration: PPPs, organizational development, farmer cooperatives
Results: Extension Mission Common Elements:
• Market access: commercialization, farm business management
• Productivity: technical assistance, traditional extension approaches
• Social objectives: health & safety, food security & nutrition, prevent child labor
• Environmental objectives: sustainable natural resource management
• Innovation: technology transfer, applied research, ICTs
• Collaboration: PPPs, organizational development, farmer cooperatives
Most extension efforts have multiple, overlapping objectives
Results: Keys to Success #1: Participatory & Contextual Approach
• Builds trust and long-term relationships with farmers
• Responsive to local conditions and farmer concerns
• Develops long-term institutional partnerships
• Emphasizes local staffing
• Encourages two-way knowledge sharing
Results: Keys to Success #1: Participatory & Contextual Approach
• Builds trust and long-term relationships with farmers
• Responsive to local conditions and farmer concerns
• Develops long-term institutional partnerships
• Emphasizes local staffing
• Encourages two-way knowledge sharing
“There is not any extension model that we can transfer from somewhere else. We should develop the model according to the social, institutional,
technical, economic, infrastructure, etc. situation of the region. We should try to use resources of the region as much as possible but in an effective
way. Participation, transparency at all levels.”
Results: Other Keys to Success
• Technical assistance is embedded in the structure of the supply chain
• Extension activities use existing nodes of connection and communication channels to reach farmers
• Extension arrangements go beyond a single cash crop to support holistic farm management and opportunities for diversified production
• Integrated extension activities address challenges along the entire value chain
• Consistent metrics and methods for evaluating success are shared across organizations, sectors and industries
Results: Barriers to Success
Top 3 Reported Barriers
1. Lack of financial resources
2. Inadequate extension coverage
3. Low literacy and education levels among farmers
Results: Barriers to Success
Top 3 Reported Barriers
1. Lack of financial resources
2. Inadequate extension coverage
3. Low literacy and education levels among farmers
“We in the past had support from various international donors, but these programs only run for about three years, and then it stops. And
that is the main challenge that we have. You cannot switch development on and off like a switch. So we need longer-term
partnerships and financial support from other role players.”
Results: Other Barriers to Success
• Lacking coordination: duplication of efforts, poor communication, conflicts between public and private organizations
• Extension is overextended with too many responsibilities
• Land tenure issues
• Gender bias against women
• Approaches that exclude the poorest farmers
• Corruption/bad business practices
Results: Future Opportunities
Nodes of Connection • Existing nodes of connection can be leveraged to reach farmers • Extension activities can provide information (market intelligence)
about the needs of small farmers to private suppliers • Private suppliers can use CRM processes to gather metrics for
tracking extension success Other Reported Opportunities
• Modern communication technologies • Local processing, value-added products • Better metrics and tracking
Key Takeaways
Multifaceted nature of extension • Multiple objectives and multiple approaches are
common, regardless of region or organizational type
Extension priorities • Production-oriented goals tend to be prioritized (e.g.
productivity, supply reliability Institutional arrangements
• Heterogeneous arrangements for funding and implementation include single-actor and multi-actor models
• More public-private collaboration in funding than in implementation
Self-assessment of outcomes • More progress toward achieving farm-level goals
related to production and market access • Less progress toward achieving social (e.g. poverty
alleviation) or environmental goals • More progress in Asia and the pacific than in Africa and
Latin America
Extensions tactics and keys to success • Provision of financial services appear to substantially
advance several goals • Participatory approaches are mentioned as key to
success, but showed limited impact on outcomes
Key Takeaways
Thank you for your amen9on! Ques9ons? Comments?
Miguel I. Gómez ([email protected])
Benjamin Mueller ([email protected])