innovations in agricultural extension: what can ethiopia learn from global experiences?

Innovations in Agricultural Extension

What can Ethiopia learn from global experiences?

Dr Ranjitha Puskur, IPMSDr Ponniah Anandajayasekeram, IFPRI (ISNAR) - ILRI

Ms Sindu Workneh, IFPRI (ISNAR)

Presented at MoARD Workshop on “Improving Agricultural Extension Service Delivery Approaches”

22 June 2006, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Why do we need innovative extension?

Changing demands on extension.. better linking of farmers to input and

output markets reducing the vulnerability and enhancing

the voice of the rural poor development of micro-enterprises poverty reduction and environmental

conservation strengthening and support of farmer

organizations

Changing paradigms..

From NARS to AKIS to AIS..

What is innovation?

“the transformation of an idea into a new or improved product introduced on the market or a new or improved operational process or into a new approach to a service”

involves more than research and development,

also entails the workings of the marketplace agriculture knowledge system success

depends on innovations being disseminated, adopted and practiced by farmers

What are innovative extension systems?

recognition and utilization of multiple sources of knowledge

focus on capacity to solve problems rather than just training for technical capacity building

adopting an interactive communication function

viewing extension as a co-learning process and

institutional pluralism

From Extension to Extension-plus

From To

Form/content Tech dissemination Supporting rural livelihoods

Improving farm productivity

Improving farm and non-farm income

Forming farmer groups Building networks

Providing services Enabling farmers to access services from other agencies

Market information Market development

M&E Input & output targets Learning

Planning & Implementation

Doing it alone Partnerships

Sources of innovation in extension

Centrally generated Locally evolved (through experimentation)

From Extension to Extension-plus

From To

Approaches Fixed/uniform Evolving/diverse

Staff capacity development

Training Learning by doing, facilitated experimentation

Capacity dev of extension system

Personnel and infra Dev of linkages and networks

Policy approach Prescriptive/blue prints

Facilitating evolution of locally relevant approaches

Introducing new working practices

Staff training Changing organisational culture through action learning

Underpinning paradigm

Technology transfer Innovation system

Making extension systems more efficient - Six principles

A sound agricultural policy is indispensable Extension consists of ‘facilitation’ as much if

not more than ‘technology transfer’ Producers are clients, sponsors and

stakeholders, rather than beneficiaries of ag extension

Market demands create an impetus for a new relationship between farmers and private suppliers of goods and services

New perspectives are needed regarding public funding and private actors

Pluralism and decentralized activities require coordination and dialogue between actors

Some elements of innovation..

delinking public funding for extension from private delivery

decentralization empowering farmers to advance consensus

approaches to development promoting demand-driven services broad stakeholder participation in the control,

support and implementation of the agricultural technology agenda

public sector alliances with the private sector enabling the private sector interconnecting rural people

Current challenges for the Ethiopian extension system

Significant increase in use of farm technologies and credit But resulting performance enhancement of

farmers too low to improve living conditions Lack of access to credit Low output price Limited profitability of packages(EEA/EEPRI study)

Need for extension to forge stronger links with credit and market systems


Increasing number of Female Headed Households Farm women not reached out to 71% of DAs and 90% of extension

experts are male Limited use of mass media

52% individual methods 39% group methods 9% mass methods


Farmers not involved in planning process

Operational constraints for DAs Transport and budgetary constraints No on-job training High farmer-DA ratio Farmers problems beyond their capacity

to address Dealing with ineffective technologies


Lack of clarity in policies – both of extension and agencies and agents

No longer term strategy, vision and plan Limited role of farmer organizations Decentralization not matched with capacity and

accountability Poor financial, administrative capacity/autonomy

of woredas extension offices Only technology shopping and delivery M&E indicators lacking ICT underdevelopment Skill development lacking for problem solving with

focus now on technology transfer

Seeking lessons from experiences..

Policy environment –agricultural policy/development strategy and objectives of the extension system

Governance structures –decentralization, privatization, and pluralism (including partnerships/linkages)

Management approach –Monitoring and Evaluation Extension techniques –mass communication using

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) Performance – demand-orientation Impact –Gender and HIV/AIDS

Government strategy/policy for Agricultural extension and policy process

Bangladesh - Agricultural Extension Policy 1999 a Strategy to implement Policy Role, goal and key components of Ag extension

defined Policies favouring privatization and increased role of

NGOs All providers agreed on implementation strategy Agricultural Extension manual published

India - Policy Framework for Agricultural Extension 2000 ‘policy environment will promote private and

community driven extension to operate competitively, in roles that complement, supplement, work in partnerships and even substitute for public extension’

Mozambique – Extension Master Plan 1999-2004

India- structural changes

Formation of new organisations with less bureaucracy, more flexibility and wider expertise

Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) an autonomous body at the district level focal point for integrating research and extension

activities and for de-centralising day-to-day management of public

agricultural technology system A R-E unit within each district includes KVKs, key line

Departments and farmers State Agricultural Management and Extension Training

Institute (SAMETI) created to provide training to state extension functionaries on innovative areas of project management, participatory planning, HRD and information technology

Agri-clinics and agri-business centres

operated by private entrepreneurs main aim is to provide accountable extension

services to farmers through technically trained agricultural graduates at the village level

financed through bank loans, 25% of the cost subsidised by the central government

provide testing facilities, diagnostic and control services and other consultancies on a fee-for service basis

Reform processes – China and India

India centrally devised and driven initiatives lock extension into long-cycle extension

paradigmsChina extension innovations emerging

continuously from the extension practice extension policy providing an enabling

environment

Roles for public and private sector actors in extension

Farm families

Medium

Large-scaleCommercial

Small scale, marginal and women

Educational programmes-NRM-Farm management-Marketing-Leadership training

Technical programmes-Crop management-Livestock management-Farming Systems

Inputs and Services-Machinery & equipment-Seeds/breeding stock-Fertilizers/feed-Chemicals/drugs

Organizing and empowering-Credit societies-Self-help groups-Farmers associations-Livestock co-operatives-Poverty alleviation

Human Resource

Development

Social Capital

Development

Technology

Transfer

Non-Governmental

organizations

Public extension

Private S

ector

Public Private Partnership

Cameroon- A good practice example partnership between the government extension

service and private agro-input supply companies The private suppliers provide the new technologies the national extension service shares its

experience in testing new technologies with farmers through small-scale demonstration plots

key to success ability to leverage the comparative advantage

of each party without compromising the efficiency, objectivity or the principles of the extension services.

Challenges..

Co-ordination of linkages Bangladesh- NGO Liaison committee India – ATMA Uganda – Res-Ext Liaison Unit (RELU) Zimbabwe – National Level Committee Kenya – National FS Co-ordinating

Committee and National Res-Ext Liaison Committee (NRELC)

Demand orientation

Case of Philippines The (Philippine) National Agricultural and Fisheries

Council (NAFC) an inter-sectoral and inter-agency body having

representation from peoples organisations and NGOs engaged in agriculture and fisheries sector

facilitates regular consultations and dialogues between government and the private sector

Agricultural and Fishery Councils at the sectoral, regional, provincial and municipal levels involving farmers, fishers, traders, rural bankers and

agri-business entrepreneurs provides inputs on major programmes and policy

decisions and help plan and monitor programmes

Monitoring and Evaluation

only about one half of all national extension systems have some type of monitoring and evaluation (M & E) capacity - FAO

M & E units are weak and are limited to ad hoc studies M&E has a negative image because these units may

concentrate on problems, exposing weaknesses and failures

M&E should be used in a positive manner to improve extension's performance and increase its efficiency

attitudes about and uses of M & E must be changed if this capacity is to be used to advantage in strengthening extension's performance and impact

Several approaches available All advocate simplicity and timeliness

Bangladesh – a good practice example

self-assessment processes carried out by the thana (sub-district level) and district staff

system includes both assessment of outcome and assessment of process

assessment of outcome review of Block Supervisor diaries Seasonal Extension Monitoring System (SEMS) Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) survey

system

Interconnecting rural poor using appropriate media

“Interconnectivity” refers to the use of appropriate IT

Application should be considered along with more traditional extension methods

Address the problem of scale, complexity, and fiscal sustainability Print with graphics and radio – appropriate and

cost-effective for developing countries Modern ICTs need significant initial and

operating cost Suitability depends on the message, target

audience, and social environment

Gender - constraints

women's legal and cultural status property rights and inheritance laws gender-determined responsibilities such as

feeding the family, which trade off basic household self-provisioning goals and care of the family against production for the market

the way that agricultural services are staffed, managed, and designed

less mobility and time availability lack of formal education which hampers

them from taking part in extension activities requiring formal reading and arithmetic skills

Low coverage

In Zimbabwe – 40-60% of HHs are Female-headed, only slightly more than 10% participate in extension training

Staffing pattern Design of trainings Hierarchical information flow

Special programmes

Bangladesh - Home stead gardening component to make new technology available to women, to augment

production of vegetables, fruit and livestock and introduce better ways of processing and using food

way of diversifying the diets of the rural poor, attacking malnutrition, using underutilized homestead space and, boosting family income through the sale of surplus homestead production

under contract, NGOs would work with women to improve homestead gardening practices

NGOs organized women into groups to encourage then to take up intensive homestead cultivation and improve food handling and preparation

building on their success, women have used these groups to obtain group loans to start micro-enterprises

the most significant benefit - solidifying the NGO-department partnership, which will long outlast the project

Ethiopia

a 2-year Pilot Project at MoARD supported by FAO in 1994 in three Regions

Paper on women by the TGE (1993) -policy addressing women’s strategic and practical gender needs provided a conducive environment

involved training extension staff in PRA and gender analysis to ensure client-oriented extension planning

A guide for field level workers (in Amharic) was developed entitled “How to make your extension program more client-oriented’, which included the use of gender-analytical framework in planning

Four major challenges faced difficulty of institutionalizing the process necessity of involving policy makers at all stages and levels need to raise gender awareness amongst rural men and women importance of addressing women’s lack of decision-making

power

India - ‘Cafeteria for Women’.

provides guiding principles and an approach to develop projects and programmes with gender issues in consideration

essentially guidelines, and allows the implementing agency (who will be developing the programme or project), at the district/block level, to choose an approach that fits into their specific situation (based on local problems, socio-economic conditions of women, nature of primary occupations, availability of suitable organisations to partner with etc)

Nigeria

Experimented with different agricultural development strategies with varying implications for rural women

A Women in Agriculture (WIA) unit, with female extension staff, was established in every Agricultural Development Project (ADP) throughout the country, to identify the technical and information needs of

rural women assisting them to become more productive through

training and technology dissemination meeting their needs through trained and qualified

female agents working with women's groups The WIA units today are fully integrated into the ADPs.

Some dos and don’ts..

Do not view rural women as a homogeneous social classification or to derive policies and services for “women in agriculture”

Avoid a centrally generated blueprint for tackling issues related to farm women

It is important to recognise the various categories of women farmers that exist and their needs in the agriculture sphere and from there to develop appropriate strategies to assist them

Extension related strategies to face the challenge of HIV/AIDS

Formulation of a national policy on AIDS and extension Preparation of extension staff

Revision of pre-service and in-service training curricula Fast-track training of extension staff Revision of extension strategies and technical

messages Preparation of multimedia extension materials on

HIV/AIDS Possible actions in the field

Institutional partnerships Anti-AIDS extension campaigns Preparation of rural leaders for collaboration Extension-HIV/AIDS specific studies Inter-country extension networks on HIV/AIDS

The way forward..

Need for a national/regional agriculture extension policy/framework and a strategy to institutionalize the changes Changes in organisational cultures and

professional attitudes – through action learning

“Change agents” within the system and political commitment at a high level

Clear definitions of mandates and roles of functionaries at various levels

Review of incentive structures

The way forward..

Making extension services/training demand-driven Participatory Extension and market-oriented

approaches need to be mainstreamed Needs capacity development - integrate into TVET

curriculum

Capacity development – staff and system Social science skills Not only training - but learning by doing,

facilitated experimentation Not only personnel and infrastructure –

but development of linkages and networks

Farmer capacity building

Capacity building of farmers should be aimed at helping them respond to constantly evolving markets, in addition to improving production and productivity..

Organize commodity based farmer interest groups and build their capabilities to bargain, negotiate and understand market functions, stakeholder strategies and, price formation

Enhance interactive and communication skills of individual farmers to exchange views with customers and other market forces

Support to entrepreneurship

FTCs as knowledge centres – nodes for experiential learning Stimulate a diversity of extension innovations that

respond adaptively to local and evolving circumstances

Recognise value of diversity of approaches and arrangements – flexibility

Learn from experiences to distill principles for scaling up

Important to pilot innovative approaches in few FTCs and scale up based on experiences and lessons learnt

No blue prints even for market-oriented extension support

The way forward..

Optimal use of FTCs

Depends on.. Quality and relevance of services and training

offered – ensured through community consultations

Technical and financial support to DAs Effective linkages of FTCs with woreda level

marketing and co-operative experts Continuous upgrading of skills of DAs Provision of adequate and relevant training

and demonstration materials, both related to production and marketing and, their continuous updating

Effective inclusion of gender and HIV concerns in extension activities

Critical role of M&E

Review the current M&E plan Revise it to make it more learning

oriented - move towards more innovative targets Outcome monitoring and responsibility

Mainstream planning, implementation and M&E tools

Accountability to farmers or FAs - farmer control over R&E resources

Equity..

Integration of HIV and gender concerns Incorporate into TVET and university

curricula Incorporate short awareness sessions

into all training programmes/courses

Organizational culture changes

Rigid patterns of control and centralized modes of planning, stifle innovation

Tradition of assessing performance in terms of technology adoption and not outcomes or impacts

History of regarding only successes and reluctance to report and analyse reasons of failure

Tradition of working independently and mistrust of other agencies

Up-ward accountability for resource utilization rather than output achievement and client satisfaction

Finally..

Crafting institutional reforms is a pragmatic, exploratory and social learning process that unfolds over years and decades

Pilot a few studies (learn by doing) Experiment with institutional innovations

Learn from experiences of others

Approach less important than its ingredients

Thank you..