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In general, the extension methods adopted have only achieved partial success. These methods were variants on the Training and Visit (T&V) system which, although effective in intensive commercial agriculture, proved not to be sustainable and to be highly expensive in the extensive smallholder systems that are prevalent in agriculture within the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). It has often been assumed that technology packages could be easily disseminated if extension was effective. In practice, this was not really the case, because farmers needed area- and crop-specific recommendations and guidance, while the packages were more of a general nature. Resource- poor farmers, particularly when they operate in fragile agro-ecological conditions, are very risk adverse.
In Botswana (076 -BT), the farmers were unable to respond to the extension message because it required the ploughing-in of fertilizers; but this was just not possible with the limited number of draft animals available. Also, the yield increases were widely seen as being too low to justify the extra effort. In Lesotho (199 LE), the technology packages had not been appraised under local circumstances and, not surprisingly, the uptake was very poor. In Malawi (158 MW) and Mozambique (SRS 008 MZ), nation-wide T&V systems were being used, but they did not contain messages which were of relevance to the project target groups; hence, impact was minimal.
For the poorest farmers, the extension services must act as a completely reliable support mechanism, gaining the confidence of the farmers and gradually introducing improved practices, as they are locally proven and as cash flows allow. Group formation, confidence building, and participation in planning, i.e., bottom-up development, is the preferred method with the target groups. Great care is required to commit farmer resources to new farming methods.
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The role of the extension agent should be seen as presenting improved
production techniques to individuals or groups, but the selection of techniques
must remain with the farmers. Where credit is involved for inputs (as
it usually is), the risks need to be assessed and explained, including
marketing or other off-farm considerations.
- The system of extension to be adopted needs to be carefully considered as part of project design. The need is to combine the social mobilization aspects, for example, group formation, with recommendations being developed for technological packages, so that there is a clear match and linkage with smallholder needs. Such an exercise, e.g., a participatory rural appraisal (PRA), should be undertaken early in the design stage.
- The extension agents may be government employees, or can be contracted staff, e. g., from non-government organizations (NGOs). In either event, adequate resources to enable them to function in the project area must be included in the project. This might include housing or accommodation allowances, transport, offices, equipment, etc.
- In order to have the confidence of the farmers, extension agents must be competent and knowledgeable.
Select any of the following related project profiles for background information: 076 BT, 055 LE, 199-lE, 158 MW, SRS-008 MZ.
