RIU Zambia offers a model for 'harmonized' extension service
25 july 2011
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The Zambia Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MACO) through the Department of Agriculture is currently looking at ways of improving delivery of extension services to small-scale farmers.
RIU Zambia is one of organiations that have been asked to join the 'Extension Harmonization Committee' (EHC). The others are CARE, Participatory Ecological Land Management (PELUM) and Farmer Organization Support Program (FOSUP).
At a workshop in March 2011, RIU Zambia shared how they were working in five districts with stakeholders at district level coordinating, sharing extension experiences, lessons, challenges and best practices in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness in promoting Conservation Agriculture).
RIU also suggested how the innovation platform approach could be applied to address the challenges in general agriculture extension service provision across the country. As a result RIU Zambia was nominated to be part of the working committee that will sit with the public sector through MACO/ Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development (MLFD) to develop guidelines to help in extension service delivery harmonization in order to contribute to increased use of better technologies and ultimately increased productivity and production.
Victor Makasa, the Country Coordinator RIU Zambia, has so far participated in four meetings; on 8 July 2011 RIU Zambia hosted the committee. The meeting drew up an action plan of activities that will culminate into the production of draft extension guidelines by 1 October 2011, which will then be presented to the wider extension stakeholders in the workshop to be held.
Background
In Zambia there is recognition of the existence of a number of extension service providers working with small-scale farmers, outside the public sector extension system. These include the agro-based private sector actors and civil society organizations.
A process to 'harmonize' extension service delivery to small- scale farmers has been embarked upon. This will involve developing guidelines to help address the problem of conflicting approaches that do not seem to be helping farmers to find solutions to their farming challenges. Instead many of the approaches have worked to entrench dependency among farmers especially because of the 'handout' approach in the course of extension service provision. This makes it difficult for extension service providers (that only offer capacity building without financial incentives) to work and other approach contributed to market distortions where inputs are subsidised on a large scale.
There was a general agreement that stakeholder should work more closely to deliver extension services effectively to small-scale farmers. Consequently it was agreed that a working committee comprising government through MACO/MLFD, private sector and civil society/other non-state actors be formed to come up with guidelines that will help to 'harmonize' extension delivery to small-scale farmers in the country.
25 july 2011
Tweet
The Zambia Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MACO) through the Department of Agriculture is currently looking at ways of improving delivery of extension services to small-scale farmers.
RIU Zambia is one of organiations that have been asked to join the 'Extension Harmonization Committee' (EHC). The others are CARE, Participatory Ecological Land Management (PELUM) and Farmer Organization Support Program (FOSUP).
At a workshop in March 2011, RIU Zambia shared how they were working in five districts with stakeholders at district level coordinating, sharing extension experiences, lessons, challenges and best practices in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness in promoting Conservation Agriculture).
RIU also suggested how the innovation platform approach could be applied to address the challenges in general agriculture extension service provision across the country. As a result RIU Zambia was nominated to be part of the working committee that will sit with the public sector through MACO/ Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development (MLFD) to develop guidelines to help in extension service delivery harmonization in order to contribute to increased use of better technologies and ultimately increased productivity and production.
Victor Makasa, the Country Coordinator RIU Zambia, has so far participated in four meetings; on 8 July 2011 RIU Zambia hosted the committee. The meeting drew up an action plan of activities that will culminate into the production of draft extension guidelines by 1 October 2011, which will then be presented to the wider extension stakeholders in the workshop to be held.
Background
In Zambia there is recognition of the existence of a number of extension service providers working with small-scale farmers, outside the public sector extension system. These include the agro-based private sector actors and civil society organizations.
A process to 'harmonize' extension service delivery to small- scale farmers has been embarked upon. This will involve developing guidelines to help address the problem of conflicting approaches that do not seem to be helping farmers to find solutions to their farming challenges. Instead many of the approaches have worked to entrench dependency among farmers especially because of the 'handout' approach in the course of extension service provision. This makes it difficult for extension service providers (that only offer capacity building without financial incentives) to work and other approach contributed to market distortions where inputs are subsidised on a large scale.
There was a general agreement that stakeholder should work more closely to deliver extension services effectively to small-scale farmers. Consequently it was agreed that a working committee comprising government through MACO/MLFD, private sector and civil society/other non-state actors be formed to come up with guidelines that will help to 'harmonize' extension delivery to small-scale farmers in the country.
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