Chapter 1 - Extension reforms in South Asia – an overview

Abstract

Over the last 30 years, due funding constraints and poor organizational design and implementation, the quality of extension and rural services have declined in developing countries. As a result, public extension system has become ineffective in reaching the smallholder farmers who are crucial for the transformation of the agriculture sector. South Asia is no exception. Public extension system needs reformation to meet the changing needs of the farmers. Setting priorities in line with farmers’ problems and national policies and strategies are key for continuous innovation in the extension system. Agricultural transformation requires not just technological adoption of innovations. Behavioral change of the farmers through demonstration and through the right type of customized information is key for not just technology adoption but also for food system transformation. The extension messages must be simplified, and pluralistic extension needs coordination at the decentralized levels in terms of thematic areas, crops, livestock, fisheries, marketing prices, nutrition, and national resource management. Use of information, communication, and technology (ICT), internet of things (IoT), and drones are increasingly effective in generating and in sharing knowledge. Yet the role of quality information and the authenticity of information needs to be regulated. Social networks and farmers organizations could be effective in making information and agricultural services move easily accessible to the farmers. The monitoring, evaluation, and learning should go beyond the number of farmers reached and to become a system of learning, innovation, and capacity development. Information on innovations must be communicated through regular face-to-face interaction and through multiple channels of reinforcements with farm communities including on-site demonstration according to the context of the problem and capacity of the farming community to receive the information. Extension workers and the organizations involved in rural service delivery should be rewarded based on their performance and the feedback from the farming community. Extension workers need to be trained differently at various levels. There is a need to go beyond technology transfer skills to make them rural social entrepreneurs for providing a wide range of services depending on the needs of the farmers and the farming communities. Private sector approaches should be complemented by the public extension system. Public–private partnerships with private, NGOs, and farmer organizations are key for advancing agricultural transformation through extension and rural service provision.