1) Extension remains a key link between agricultural innovation and productivity gains for smallholder farmers but faces new challenges with the transformation of food systems and the emergence of private sector extension. 2) Extension policies and programs need to be tailored to countries' stages of agricultural development and transformation from agriculture-based to transformed economies. 3) Building the value case for extension requires assessing factors like relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, impact and equity at the individual, organizational, and systems levels.

1. Building the Value Case for Extension
Suresh Babu, IFPRI
June 5, 2015, MEAS Symposium, Washington D.C
Building the Value Case for Extension

2. • Poverty, hunger and malnutrition - a major development
challenge
• Smallholder farmers productivity – key to increasing food
security and poverty reduction
• Rapid transformation of food and agricultural systems
• Strategic innovations needed – differentiated by context and
stage of development
• Extension remains a major missing link between innovation
and productivity gains
• With emerging private sector extension comes new set of
challenges and opportunities
Emerging Challenges

3. Extension Policies should also reflect
Country’s Stage of Transformation
Increased productivity among smallholder
farmers (e.g. smallholder-friendly
investment and access to finance)
Cross-sectoral social safety nets to protect during shocks and acquire
skills to undertake more productive activities
Institutional reform
to facilitate
consolidation of
farms and
movement out of
agriculture
High-value agriculture
Improved links to global and
urban markets
Agriculture-
based
Transforming Transformed

4. Extension TransformationFigure 2.2 Stylized Trends in the Nature of EAS and Extension Transformation
Public Extension
NGOs
ICT
PPP
Plural
HR
FBOs
High Level
Farmer organizations/ Producer
Association (FBOs)
Use of ICT
Private Sector ExtensionHuman Resources and Skills for
Advisory Services (HR)
Role of Public Sector
Extension
Intensity of pluralistic
extension
sources/approaches
Public/ Private/
Partnerships
Private
Role of NGOs
Private Extension

5. Case for Extension?
 Policy – program – implementation – impact
 Extension reforms – How to design and implement?
 Individual capacity
 Organizational and institutional architecture
 Systems Capacity

6. Operational Framework for Assessing, Analyzing,
and Acting on Extension Reforms

7. Analysis of Factors Affecting the Successful
Performance of Extension Systems (Babu et al, 2015)
Relevance Effectiveness Efficiency Sustainability Impact Equity
Internal Factors  Crop production
(quality and timing)
 Timing of operations for
cultivation
 Timely supply of inputs
 Timely purchase of
outputs
 Market advice
Post-harvest handling
 Leadership/ vision
 Organized teams
 Coordination with
farmer groups
 Collaboration with input
dealers and credit
institutions
 Partnerships with public
extension
 Research-extension
linkages
 Optimal farmers per
extension agent
 24/7 call center
 48 hour response
 Farmer training centers
 Internal coordination
with cost recovery
 Sustained supply of
outputs
 Productivity vs. land
expansion
 Integrated pest
management
 Controlling water
irrigation
 Value addition
 Market for processed
outputs
 Profitability
 Labor saving
 Effective social capital
 Network with other
service providers
 Achievement-oriented
professionals
 Competitiveness
increase
 Differential
engagement of farmers
for skill development
 Differential pricing of
outputs
 Help smallholders with
specific technology
packages
 Quality control support
 Value addition support
External Factors  Location of processing
facility
 Public policy for
employment
 Incentives for problem
solving
 Recognition and public
investment
 Presence of research
units
 Farmer interest groups
 Hire purchase investors
 Presence of farmer
support
 Pricing of input/output
policy
 Availability of
seedlings/inputs
 Mechanization policy
 Regulation of pesticide
use
 Road network
transportation
 Rainfall changes
 Water levels
 Droughts/floods
 Labor availability
 Soil fertility depletion
 Input pricing
 Output pricing
 Farmer income/
livelihood change
 Recognition by the
government
 Ecosystem benefits
 Win-win for the farmer
and systems
 Public interventions
supporting farmers
 Banking/ credit
institutions
 Government subsidies
 Procurement support
from public/ private
sectors

8. Extension for What?
• Agricultural transformation
• Total factor productivity
• Knowledge system
• Pluralistic extension
• India – Agricultural Technology Management Agency ( ATMA)
• Brazil – Ministry of Agrarian development (PNATER)
• Nigeria – Agricultural Transformation Agenda

9. Knowledge connectors - Individuals
• Technical capacity for emerging issues
• Problem solving – post harvest - markets
• Social Entrepreneurs –
• Service providers – Animal husbandry
• Input dealers – private sector technical assistance
• Mid-career training for professionals
• Trainers of the extension workers

10. Organizational Roles
• Linking strategy to program design
• Setting priorities for extension -context
• Allocation of resources
• Implementation capacity
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Personnel management
• Impact Assessment

11. System Mapping
• Research – extension – farmer linkages
• Innovation systems - extension along Value chains
• Public- private –FBO – Linkages
• Evidence – based Knowledge management
• Local – national – global linkages
• Extension Policy process

12. Discussion
• Identifying Extension / Knowledge needs
• Entry points for extension / organizational strengthening
• Coordination / regulatory capacity for inclusive extension
• Effective research / innovation linkages
• Systems capacity for policy / strategy / monitoring and
evaluation